Precious Glitch
by DannyVulpix
Summary: After discovering his mission was a lie, Zim swears revenge on the Almighty Tallests. However, with his PAK broken, he winds up in the middle of space in his Voot Cruiser, stranded and an inch from death. Now, it's up to run-away Irken Danny, former Invader Jaz, and their friends to save Zim and take the Empire.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Deep in space, the stars slowly disappear from sight as the earth comes into view. The earth grows in size and clouds soon pass by. Trees and buildings become visible. One building stands out from the rest. A small, green house, at the end of a cul-de-sac, nestled between two much bigger houses. Large cables protrude from the small building into the surrounding walls. A large satellite dish emerges from the tall, pointy roof. Four garden gnomes accompanied by two plastic flamingos and a sign reading "I love Earth" decorate the yard.

* * *  
A young man with a trench coat, glasses, and a scythe-haircut crouched on the sidewalk in front of the house, hiding behind the fence. Occasionally, he would peek over the fence with highly advanced binoculars. On the other side of the next house, two girls watched him secretly.

"There's your boooooyfriiieeeeennnd" said the taller, blonde girl, poking the shorter brunette rapidly. The brunette waved her hand away.

"Hey, shut up!" She said, a little annoyed. "His head is too big for me, anyway." She turned to the blonde.

"What should we do?" She asked.

"THAT is an excellent question." The blonde replied with a slightly sarcastic smile. The brunette giave her an agitated look and turned back to the young man, still hiding behind the fence.

"How about we…" She scratched her head as she thought. "…Tackle him and steal his organs?" She looked back at the blonde excitedly. The blonde returned her gaze, but not her enthusiasm. Instead, she looked at the brunette as if she just sprouted a second head.

"Nah, never mind. Too overdone." The brunette looked back at the young man. "….Oh for Irk's sake, let's just get him."

"And what do you intend to do once you have him?" The blonde asked with a raised eyebrow. The brunette chuckled evilly at the question before quickly turning back to the blonde.

"I have no idea." She replied with a straight face. The blonde smacked her palm against her forehead in frustration.

"Let's come up with it as we go along." The brunette suggested.

"Oh yeah, 'cause that always worked SO well..." The blonde replied sarcastically.

"Fine, Ms. Smarty-Tights, you got a better idea?" The brunette asked, becoming annoyed with the blonde's skepticism.

"No, as a matter of fact, I don't." The blonde replied, slumping her shoulders in defeat. The brunette turned back to the young man.

"Then…" She took a runner's stance and shot off like a rocket.

"JAZ! WAIT!" The blonde yelled after her. The brunette let out a battle cry, ignoring her.

The young man looked up in surprise.

"WHAT THE—" He had barely gotten the words out before Jaz landed on top of him. The two tumbled a few feet before falling off the sidewalk.

Dib lay on the ground, stunned. After a bit, he blinked and gave Jaz an annoyed look.

"Oh, it's you." He said dully.

"Can Danny and I help you spy on Zim?" Jaz asked after getting up, with a big smile on her face. The blonde came out from behind the building, rolling her eyes. Dib stared at them both, astonished at the idea of the two girls helping him spy on the evil little alien that lived in the house.

"Uh...okay...?" He said, at a loss for words. Jaz's smile immediately grew bigger than before.

"SWEEEET. So, what are you planning to do to him this time?" She asked eagerly.

"Well, I was trying to gather information quietly. Without him noticing. But I'm sure he's noticed by NOW." Dib replied snidely.

"Oh, we can fix that." Jaz said confidently. She turned to her blonde companion. "Can't we, Danny?" Danny looked at her, a little unsettled by her implication. Jaz turned back to Dib and smiles.

"Don't worry Dib, we'll help make this mission easier for you. I have a plan to get rid of Zim once and for all." She stated proudly. Dib looked at her, confused.

"What? How?"

"In case you've forgotten, we're Irkens." Jaz replied proudly.

"…And?" Dib asked, still confused.

"We know EXACTLY what to do in order to disable Zim from ever causing any harm to your planet again." Jaz said self-assuredly and looked to the side. "It would be kind of a dumb idea to not want our help, you know...even if you DO hate aliens." She looked back at him, smirking.

"But that still leaves you two." He remarked, unimpressed.

"Hey, I'm just here to get rid of Zim. That's my only mission." Jaz replied, trying to be assuring.

"And I'm only here to study Earth for my home planet. Which, in case you've forgotten is not Irk. I'm not interested in conquering your planet." Danny stated matter-of-factly.

Dib looked back and forth between the two girls before finally slumping his shoulders in defeat.

"Fine. What do you plan to do?"

"Listen closely, human." Jaz answered, taking a step toward him. "You're about to be given the greatest secrets of the Irken Empire." She pulled the other two closer and they started whispering amongst themselves, huddled together.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"GIR, I said NO!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEHEEEHEHEEEHEHEEHEE!"

"Do you not understand the IMPORTANCE of peace and quiet?! Of course you don't!"

"YEAH! Wait a minute... No."

"You've been doing absolutely nothing but bothering me ALL DAY, GIR! I'm working on the most SERIOUS plan I have ever devised, a plan that will ensure the absolute destruction of every last human! And YOOOU..." Zim pointed angrily at his incompetent robot minion. "...are making it harder to FOCUS!" Zim was shouting at the top of his lungs, but the robot with the mind of a human child didn't seem to notice. Instead, he just pulled a puppy out of his head.

"LOOK WHAT AH FOUND! HE SMELLS REAL BAD!" GIR squealed as he presented the puppy to his master proudly, shoving it in front of Zim's face.

"AHHH! NO GIR! GET THAT AWAY FROM MEEE!" Zim yelled as he pushed both the robot and the small dog away. "That thing smells DEAD! Get rid of it! QUICKLY! Before it infects my superior skins! And stop bothering me!"

"OOOOKEEEEE DOKEEEEEE!" GIR shouted gleefully before running out of the lab with the puppy held over his head. Zim quickly closed the door once GIR was outside and locked it. The small Irken turned around and let out a sigh of relief before walking back to his computer.

"Now...back to work." He said to himself evilly as he worked on the controls and analyzed every detail carefully. "This plan WILL work...so perfectly, in fact, that I'll be rid of even the Dib-worm before he can stop me." The little green alien chuckled evilly at the thought.

"MASTAH! MASTAH!" A high pitched voice called from behind the door.

"GRRRR, WHAT THE IRK IS IT!?" Zim yelled angrily.

"MARY'S HERE!" GIR answered happily.

"EHH?..." Zim exclaimed, more than a little confused. Suddenly, a realization hit him and he became angry again. "OH! DIB!" Just then, the door to the lab was broken down. Zim immediately turned the computer off and hid his plans before whirling around to face the intruder.

"It's over, Zim! I don't know what you're planning, but I'll put a stop to it!" Dib shouted, standing tall and proud in the doorway.

"I don't know what you're blabbing about. I've been doing nothing but enjoying my day off." Zim stated.

"Irkens take days off?" Dib asked, a bit put off.

Zim's eye twitched. "YES!" He replied, his anger building.

"But, you're basically machines."

"We're more than just mere machines! You should know that by now, stupid-pig! Now if you don't _mind_, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Zim shouted, angered and annoyed by Dib's sudden and unwelcome appearance.

Suddenly, two Irken females stepped into the room to stand on either side of Dib.

"Hello, ZIM." Said the shorter of the two icily, glaring at him through deep blue eyes. "Enjoying your day off?"

"HEH? What is this? What you two doing here?! Get out! Or I'll take you out by FORCE!" Zim screamed as laser guns pop out of his PAK and threaten all three of them.

"Not likely." Jaz remarked coldly.

"COMPUTER, INTRUDER ALERT!" No sooner had Zim given the command, then the base had come alive, shooting cables and weapons out of the walls.

"DANNY! HOLD ZIM DOWN!" Jaz yelled as she uses her own weapons to fight off those that the base was throwing at them. The taller of the two females leaped at Zim, knocking him to the ground and pinning him down.

"GrrAAAH! GET OFF OF ME, YOU FEMALE!" Zim screamed as he tried to escape her strong grasp. Danny stared down at the small alien, analyzing him.

"I just noticed how incredibly tiny you are..." Zim paused upon hearing these words and looks up at her,

"HUH!?" He shouted, confused. Confusion quickly turns to anger as he shouts again. "NO ONE CALLS ME TINY!" He continued his feeble attempts to escape the female's grasp, fighting even more viciously than before, much to the amusement of the tall Irken.

"You watch him, Danny! We'll take care of the hard stuff!" Jaz said before turning to Dib and running out of the room. "Come on, Dib!"

"Right!" Dib said eagerly as he turns and follows her out.

Zim quickly stopped struggling and glared up at the female pinning him to the floor. Danny returned his glare with a smug grin.

"What are you and those two planning exactly?" Zim asked. "I DEMAND TO KNOW!"

"You're cute." Danny laughed, trying to distract him. Zim stared at her in confusion, but quickly grew angry again.

"I AM NOT CUTE! I AM ZIIIM!" He shouted at her. Suddenly, the same confused look from just seconds before reappears on his face. "Hold on." He said as he looks up at her. "You're an Irken, and you just called me CUTE."

"Yeah, so?" Danny replied indifferently.

"Irkens don't like cute things..." He stares at her before looking away, embarrassed. "This is awkward."

"Well, I'm not an ordinary Irken." Danny replied. "You know that."

"...Well, yes, I know that..."

"Then what the hell is the problem?"

"ZIM IS NOT CUTE!" Zim shouted in her face. Danny looked back down at him, annoyed. Zim looked away again, angry, but then looked back at her, a question having just arose in his mind.

"By the way, why do you think I'm cute?"

Danny merely shrugged in response.

Zim, angered again, shouted once more.

"TELL MEEEEEE!"

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes." Zim's temper had just gotten the best of him again and he shouted "I DEMAND TO KNOW!"

"Why do you even care?" Danny asked.

"BECAUSE, I need to fix whatever flaw I have so I can no longer seem cute. An invader is meant to be fierce and horrible!"

Danny just stared at him, blinking once.

"Danny, if you don't tell me, I will be forced to use force." Zim stated, losing his patience.

Danny stared down at him, assessing his situation. "Yyyyyyyeah..." She replied, not convinced.

"Oh for Irk's sake, just tell me already, before I make things ugly!" Zim warned her.

"No." Danny replied with a smirk.

"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF—WHY NOT?!" Zim shouted.

"Because you're so cute when you're angry" Danny replied, having far too much fun for her own good.

Zim stared at her in shock which quickly turned to horror. "No...NOOOOO! I AM HORRIBLE AND TERRIFYING! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO FEAR MEEEE!"

"Well...I don't."

"FEAR MEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"No."

Zim stared up at her angrily for a few minutes. Eventually, his expression softens and he lets out a sad sigh, dropping his head to the floor. "You suck."

"So I've been told." Danny replied

"Well, you do."

"Uh-huh."

"Stop it."

"I didn't do anything." Danny looked down on Zim, a bit confused.

"You're ANNOYING ME!" Zim shouted back.

"Oh, well, then I'm doing my job." Danny replied smugly.

"And this was my big day..." Zim sighed sadly.

"What exactly was your big plan?" Danny asked curiously.

"Oh, like I REALLY want to tell YOU!" Zim spat at her angrily.

"Tell me, or I'll call you cute again"

"Go ahead, I'm still not telling."

Danny smirked as she leaned down and put her face in his. "CUTE." She said, hoping for a reaction. Zim's eye twitched in response as he stared up at her. Then, he had an idea.

"I'll tell you what, Danny. I won't reveal my plan to you, until you reveal your reason for thinking I am cute." He said coolly. Danny stared down at him.

"Dang. You're desperate, aren't you?" She asked, teasingly.

"Yes." Zim replied, glaring up at her. Danny sighed.

"Alright, well...honestly, I don't really know. Maybe it's your big eyes or your size...Maybe both." She said, grinning. Zim stared up at her with one eye narrowed.

"You think my SIZE is cute?" He asked, a bit put off by this revelation.

"Yes." Danny replied, still grinning.

"Why?" Zim asked, curiously.

"You're so tiny." Danny was still grinning. Zim's face tensed back into the glare he was giving her just moments before.

"I don't LIKE being called tiny. Even if my height isn't matching to that of yours or the Tallests, I have a PERFECTLY good height." His eyes closed as he thought about what she just said. "Still..." He opened his eyes as he smiled up at her. "It is always good to be admired. And you should admire me; I'm going to be the Tallest one day." He said, grinning proudly. Danny stared down at him, silent for a few minutes, before she snorted and burst out laughing.

"I know, I'm amazing!" Zim exclaimed proudly. At this, Danny started to laugh even harder, loosening her grip on him. Zim laughed with her but then his spider legs pop out of his PAK along with some weapons as he pushes her off and pins her to the floor instead. Danny immediately stops laughing and stares up at him, shocked.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" She shouted, angered and ashamed that she had let her guard down.

"Well, thank you. I try my hardest." Zim replied smugly. He then stuck one of his laser guns to Danny's head. "Now you will tell me what it is Dib and Jaz are planning to do..." He readied the gun. "...or DIE."

"I don't know what they're planning." Danny replied curtly as she glares up at him.

"LIES!" Zim shouted as he shoved the gun into Danny's head even harder. "Tell Zim or DIE!"

Danny remained silent.

"Don't make me kill you..." Zim said, still holding the gun up to her head.

Danny just continued to glare up at him.

"...If I must be honest, I would much prefer NOT to. But my mission is at stake, and I will do anything to keep it safe." Zim leaned in, putting his face closer to hers. "Now...tell me..."

"Go ahead. Kill me. It won't make a difference, though. It's not like my death will stop them." Danny replied as she glares at him.

"...You're right." Zim grabbed her by the collar of her uniform, pulling her up and glaring at her. "I guess you'll just have to lead me to them." He said coldly, still pushing the gun into her head.

"HA! Good luck with THAT." Danny laughed scornfully. Zim glared at her for a few minutes, still holding her by the collar.

"Fine then..." He said as he released her. An evil grin slowly creeps onto his face. "Let's see how you like me CUTE."

"Huh?" Danny stared up at him, a bit confused by his statement.

"GIR!" Zim shouted, not taking his eyes off of Danny. Immediately, the little robot flew through the door, eyes glowing red.

"YES MY MASTER!" GIR shouted as he saluted his master. Danny stared at the little robot, perplexed.

"GIR, I'm in the mood to play a game...a CUTE game. And so is Danny..." The little alien smiled down at the taller alien evilly. Danny stared back up at him with an unreadable expression.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" GIR squealed as his eyes turn back to blue and his arms shot above his head.

"But this time _I_ name the game! Understand?" Zim said as he turns his gaze back to his robot servant.

"Aaaaaaawwwwwww" The little robot replied as his arms dropped to his sides limply.

"Oh don't worry, GIR, you'll enjoy this. It's a NEW game." Zim turned his gaze back to Danny. "A game I call...MESS UP." Danny stared up at him, even more confused than before.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY MESS UP!" GIR flung his arms into the air again, grinning that goofy grin of his.

"Here's how we play; first, we strap Danny to the wall." Several tentacles popped out of Zim's PAK and picked Danny up off the floor, pinning her to the wall. Zim walked up to her with the same, evil grin on his face. "Next...we mess her up." He took several tools and utensils that look like they came straight from a beauty parlor out of his PAK.

"OH, HELL NO!" Danny screamed as she glared down at Zim angrily.

"Don't worry, I'll give myself a make-over as well! Now GIR, I usually don't allow you to do these sort of things, but this is an exception." Zim told he little robot as he pulled a hot and ready curling iron out of his PAK. "You are allowed to do ANYTHING you want to this Irken...and I mean ANYTHING." He said as he smiles up at Danny evilly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In the deepest part of the house, where the Control Brain is held, Jaz and Dib have just arrived. Jaz, alert and active. Dib, panting and leaning over from fatigue.

"Is this it?" Dib asked, looking around in awe.

"Yes." Jaz replied, looking at the spot where the Brain is nestled. She looked at Dib. "Can you keep going?"

"Yeah, I think so." Said Dib, still panting, though not as heavily as before.

"Good." Jaz smiled at him. "This is where you come in. Come on!" She called over shoulder as she took off toward a hover plate.

"Hey! Wait up!" Dib yelled, running after her.

The hover plate lowered them both down several feet to the Brain. The pair stared at it for a moment before slowly approaching it. Jaz turned to Dib.

"Now this may or may not work. If I fail, only you will be able to control the BRAIN." She said.

Dib continued to stare at the Brain for a short moment longer, then turned to Jaz and nodded.

Jaz returned the nod, turning back to the Brain. She walked up to a keypad and punched in a code, removing The Brain's safety cover and exposing the strange electric glow underneath. Jaz carefully removed the Brain from its nest and set it down on a hovering platform. She turned to Dib with nervous but confident eyes.

"Alright..." She said, bracing herself. "Help me remove my PAK."

Dib nervously approached her and took her PAK in his hands, pulling it off. Jaz screamed in pain and fell to the floor, nearly fainting. She clung to herself, gasping for air. Dib stood there for a few brief seconds, staring at her and unsure of what to do. Then, he regained his senses and turned to the Brain, jamming the PAK into it.

"Hurry..." Jaz choked out just before closing her eyes and fainting.

"Awwwww, you look so purdy!" GIR exclaimed happily as Zim chuckled in amusement.

Danny took one look in the mirror the little robot was holding up to her and started cursing loudly. Her face looked like a child had gone to town with a box of crayons.

"I'M GONNA F***ING KILL YOU!" She shouted, struggling like mad.

"Well I must admit, you _do_ look cuter this way." Zim announced, sounding very pleased as GIR giggled himself silly.

Danny's eye twitched and she let out a scream of rage, struggling even more.

"It's my turn!" Zim said, grinning evilly as he approached Danny, pushing GIR aside.

"GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU B******!" Danny shouted in his face.

"Relax, I'm going to give you a quick wash to get of all that makeup." Zim replied calmly, pulling a cloth wet with a water-like substance out of his PAK. "You know, so I can start over." He begins rubbing the make-up off.

"GET. THE IRK. AWAY FROM ME!" Danny shouted, attempting to bite his hand.

"Hold still!" He said, pulling his hand away. "I'm almost done cleaning you off." He resumes rubbing the rest of the make-up off. When he's finished, he stuffs the cloth in her mouth. Danny is taken off guard and just stares blankly, but soon recovers and glares at the little Irken.

Zim laughs as he pulls out a professional make-up kit. "I'm going to make you look soooooo CUTE. So cute even Zim can't resist you." He said with a sly grin before letting out a "Pffft" of laughter.

Danny tried to spit out the cloth, but failed and resorted back to glaring.

Zim began to apply the make-up in an almost professional manner, quickly and precisely, his smile never leaving his face.

"Oooooooooooh!" GIR exclaimed in awe as he watched.

Zim applied a few final touches then pulled away, admiring his work and smiling proudly. He pulled the cloth out of Danny's mouth and tossed it to the side, holding up the mirror to her. He positioned himself to stand next to her so he could look into it as well.

"I f***ing hate you." Danny said as she glared into the mirror. Zim looked at her, hand over his heart.

"I knew this time would bring us closer." He said before turning away. "That _is_ what you wanted, isn't it? You have a crush on me, don't you?" He tossed the mirror aside, causing it to smash to pieces on the floor. "I only thought after all those wonderful compliments you gave me about being cute and all, I would just return the favor."

"Well, you know WHAT?" Danny replied, not quite having registered what he said. "I—Wait...WHAT!? ME? Have a crush on YOU!? Wha—What would possess you to believe such a ridiculous thing!?" She stammered. Zim looked at her, smiling cockily and raising an "eyebrow".

"Well, obviously no Defective performs such rare and powerful emotions and acts unless they, the Defectives themselves, has certain FEELINGS for another. YOU performed those certain emotions and acts when you had me pinned down just a while ago. Despite my height and position, you still admire me for things no one else would care about. That only tells me you're in love with the Almighty Invader Zim."

"You...YOU..." She stammered, trying to find the right words. "You realize I'm going to have to kill you now. That is, if your base doesn't do it for me."

"Oh, I don't mind, just so long as we get to do something fun like this again." Zim replied, not noticing that last point.

Danny growled, laser guns popping out of her PAK and blasting herself free and lunged at Zim. Though surprised and shocked, he managed to fight back and pin her to the floor with his spider legs.

Hovering above her, he said smugly "Sorry. Maybe on another date."

Danny growled at him, shooting out on of her own spider legs. Zim dodged it, but just barely. Multiple tentacles popped out of his PAK and aimed themselves at Danny, hovering threateningly but not firing.

"You know, we could make this work out!" He said, almost desperately.

"Oh really? And HOW do you suggest we do THAT?" Danny replied, exasperated and annoyed.

"I could take you out on a REAL date?" He answered innocently. GIR, having been watching the whole time, stares at his master in disbelief.

"YEAH WELL I—Wait...What!?" Danny stared at him as what he said sunk in.

"Well, I dunno, I just..." He said as he looked around nervously before looking back at her and merely shrugging in response.

Danny stared at him.

"I mean sure, I should be hating you and your guts right now because you and your allies are trying to destroy me and ruin everything of my own, but...nobody's...ever...complimented on me before...at least not like you have..." Zim said.

Danny was so stunned that all she could do was stare.

"And..." Zim sighed and waved his hand a bit. "I-I know it's against the Irken way, but, you're a Defective...aaaaand...well, I guess I've been called that as well from time to time..."

There was a long pause.

"INTRUDER ALERT!" The computer suddenly blared.

"HEH?" Zim looked up and around. "Computer, why are you saying that now? The intruders ha—"

"NO!" Danny pushed Zim down and out of the path of several robotic tentacles.

Zim, dazed and not processing what just happened for a split second, turns to Danny, suddenly afraid for both her life and his.

"DANNY!" He shouted.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Is all he received in response as Danny stood over him with laser guns protruding from her PAK and shooting at everything the base throws at them.

"What about you!?" Zim asked, confused as to what to do.

"The base is after YOU! I'll be fine, just go! And take GIR with you!" Danny replied, still fighting the base.

"HEH!? Why is the base after ME!?"

"Never mind that! Just go!"

Incredibly confused, Zim grabbed a clueless GIR and ran for the exit, putting on his human disguise consisting of a black wig and blue contact lenses, which appear purple when combined with his natural ruby eyes. He managed to escape the base, despite it attacking him all the way to the door and even to the street.

When he finally felt safe enough, he turned around to stare at the base in shock and confusion.

"What on Irk..."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The base was now calm as Dib traipsed through it, half carrying, half dragging Jaz, whose PAK had been re-implanted on her back.

"Dib...my PAK...should be healing me...by now..." Jaz said weakly as she struggled to breathe. She took in a huge gasp of air then resorted back to breathing slowly. "I still feel the same..."

"Jaz..." Dib started before being interrupted by Danny as she came running toward them, almost running them over.

"There you guys are! Listen, I—JAZ!? What happened!?" She then turned her gaze to Dib. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?" She shouted at him angrily.

"Nothing!" Dib shouted back defensively.

"It was part...of the plan, don't worry..." Jaz intervened before exhaling heavily and closing her eyes as she tried to rest.

Danny turned her gaze back to her friend as her expression softened. "Jaz...Are you...are you ok?" She asked, concerned.

Jaz gestured for Dib to let her go, to which he obliged half-heartedly. Jaz sat down and, struggling to keep herself sitting up, she explains.

"We used my PAK...to take control of the base's BRAIN...so now...it only obeys...my commands...and Dib's..." Her head drooped forward from exhaustion. "I should be fine...soon enough..."

"How long have you been like this?" Danny asked. Jaz slowly lifted her head up, her eyes barely open.

"...Since I got my PAK back in..." She replied weakly before dropping her head again.

"And how long ago was that!?" When Jaz doesn't answer, Danny turns to Dib. "WELL!?"

"Uh...A few minutes ago? I don't know!" Dib replied frantically. Danny turned back to Jaz.

"JAZ! Come on! Don't you DARE fall asleep on me!" She shouted, slapping her friend's face gently. Jaz snorted awake and her head shot up.

"Wh-wai-wha?" She said groggily.

"That's it!" Danny scooped Jaz up in her arms and ran back in the direction she came from.

"H-hey! Where—Wait up!" Dib shouted after her before running off in the same direction.

The two of them run through the base to the lab. When they reached their destination, Danny looked around frantically at all the equipment. Finally, she spots what she's looking for and bolts for a pod-like chamber. She placed Jaz inside and the pod immediately closed Danny punched in a code, which caused the pod to glow and make whirring sounds.

"What is that thing?" Dib asked curiously.

"It's a repair pod. It repairs Irken PAKs. Jaz should be back to normal in no time." Danny replied.

Several minutes passed before the pod finally opened and Jaz's eyes shot open. She pushed herself up into a sitting position then leaps out of the pod, standing proudly with her hands on her hips.

"See, I told you I'd be fine." She said with a wink. "Of course, I must thank you both...You've done wonderfully." She added humbly with a smile.

"If you ever scare me like that again, I WILL kill you." Danny said curtly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Jaz said, waving it off, still smiling. She clapped her hands and rubbed them together. "So! We did it! I can FINALLY tell the Tallests I completed my mission!" She said triumphantly. Danny looked away, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"As an Irken, I can honestly say I have made real friends." Jaz continued, not noticing Danny. "Dib, thank you for allowing us to serve alongside you." She added with a respectful bow.

"Hey, I should be thanking you guys for helping me get rid of Zim." Dib replied with a smirk.

"Um...yeah...sure...no problem..." Danny replied nervously. Dib looked at her curiously.

"Um...Danny? Are you...wearing make-up?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Huh?" Danny looked at him in confusion before turning to the nearest shiny surface and looking at her reflection. She was not pleased with what she saw. "THAT LITTLE S***!" She frantically rubbed at her face with her hands.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if I should ask about that..." Jaz said, staring at her.

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" Danny shouted, still rubbing the make-up off.

"Who? GIR?" Jaz asked, confused.

"NO. ZIM!" Danny shouted, having stopped rubbing her face due to the fact that her gloves were now covered in make-up.

Jaz stared at her, processing what she just said. Her eyes grew wide as it dawned on her and she turned and ran for the door.

"Jaz!?" Dib called after her.

"Where are you—" Danny started. "CRAP!" She exclaimed as she took off after her Irken companion. "JAZ! WAIT!"

"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Dib shouted as he ran after them both.

Back on the surface, Jaz ran out the front door, angry as a charging bull. "ZIIIIIIIIIIM! I'M GOING TO FUGGING MURDER YOU!"

Zim, having been standing on the sidewalk, immediately ran for his life, screaming with GIR still in hand.

The two Irkens chase each other in circles around the cul-de-sac, screaming and cursing. Humans watch them without really giving a damn or having a clue about them being aliens. Danny and Dib come running out the front door to witness the almost comical sight.

"JAZ!" Danny yelled as she ran out into the street. She stopped just short of the area where the two Irkens are chasing each other and crouched. Zim ran right past her, still holding GIR and closely followed by Jaz. Danny pounced, tackling Jaz to the ground. "STOP!" She shouted.

Jaz screamed as she struggled against Danny's grip. "LET ME GO! I'M GONNA KILL HIM! I'M GONNA KILL THAT STUPID B******! HE'S RUINING MY LIFE! I'M GONNA _KILL_ HIM!"

"JAZ! CALM DOWN!" Danny shouted as she struggled to hold her friend.

Dib stood on the sidewalk, not sure of what to do. Zim stood gaping in fear at the two Irken females struggle on the ground.

Danny finally managed to pin Jaz down on her back and slapped her across the face. "CALM DOWN!"

Jaz responded by glaring up at her in anger.

"WHAT THE F*** was THAT!?" Danny demanded.

"He's supposed to be DEAD! Why is he still alive?! You were SUPPOSED to keep him INSIDE so the house could destroy him!" Jaz retaliated.

Danny's expression softened as she looked down. "I...I couldn't."

"WHAT!? WHY NOT!? I gave you specific orders NOT to let him escape or leave ALIVE! WHAT IN IRK'S NAME IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

"I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE HIM DIE! FORGIVE ME FOR NOT WANTING TO SEE ANOTHER LIVING BEING BLASTED TO PIECES!"

"HE DOESN'T EVEN LIKE ANYONE! HE TRYING TO DESTROY US ALL! HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY LET A CRIMINAL LIKE HIM LIVE, AFTER ALL HE'S DONE!?"

"BECAUSE, _I_, UNLIKE _SOME_ PEOPLE, ACTUALLY BELIEVE IN SECOND CHANCES!"

"HE'S HAD BILLIONS OF SECOND CHANCES! I'M JUST TRYING TO DO MY JOB SO I CAN GO _HOME_!" Jaz's eyes started to tear up at the last sentence.

Danny, suddenly at a loss for words, merely sighed in exhaustion.

Jaz pushed Danny off and looked at her, tears still in her eyes. "You...are a stupid...B******! I came here to do my job, and you're RUINING IT! I thought you were my friend!" She then turned on Zim. "And YOU!"

Zim, having been watching the whole time, started at Jaz's outburst.

"YOU'RE the reason why I'm at the end of my rope! It's because of YOU that I may be DELETED under the Tallests' ruling! This is all YOUR fault, you filthy, horrible disgrace!" Jaz shouted as she got to her feet.

Zim's expression went from shock and fear to anger. Danny, however, just stood by with her head hung. Dib watched everything and tried to process what had just occurred.

Zim finally managed to compose himself and marched right up to Jaz, staring her directly in the face. "How...DARE you call ME a DISGRACE! I am the reason our people will still be superior among all others in the future! You have NO IDEA who yo—"

Just then, Danny stepped between them. "Zim, stop."

Zim looked at her in shock. Jaz looked at her as well, but in anger rather than surprise.

"Look, Zim, I'm sorry, but you're not an Invader. Jaz was sent here by the Tallest themselves to destroy you." Danny explained calmly. Zim just stared at her as if she had sprouted a second head.

"Oh, come on Danny!" Jaz exclaimed. "He's not going to believe you! He's never believed anyone!"

"What...are you TALKING about?" Zim asked with one eye narrowed and the other wide open.

"Just...Shut up." Danny said to Jaz before turning to Zim. "The Tallest lied to you. They only wanted you off Irk."

Zim just stared at her in disbelief before narrowing both eyes at her. "Oh...oh, I get it. You really DON'T like me."

"What!? That has NOTHING to do with—"

"You think feeding me some random LIES about my mission being a fake after the moment we both just had inside the house will make me think that you actually LIKE me!? You were just telling Zim LIES about liking him, and now you're trying to mess with me even more by saying my own mission, my own DREAM is nothing but lies!" Zim ranted, a tear forming in his eye.

"Zim...I promise you." Danny said, her voice cracking. "Everything I just told you is true. And I DO like you! Why would I have saved your life just to lie to you?" She asked.

"Well, I don't know! Maybe you just think it's funny to see Zim get angry and...and...EMOTIONAL! Why else would anyone not give a single damn about me except to just see me try and fall and get angry over and over and over again!?"

Danny was in tears now. "Zim, that's not true! And I give a damn about you! I give a whole crap-load of damns! Please believe me."

"Why SHOULD I believe you!? You've been working with Jaz to destroy me this entire time! You just..." A tear finally streamed down Zim's face. "...you just..." A few more tears fell and he just glared at Danny before turning to furiously wipe them away.

"But I...I..." Danny's voice trailed off, unable to find the right words.

Jaz and Dib were now watching in complete surprise and awe.

Zim stood there, motionless, arms at his sides. His face was still wet, though no more tears fell. When he finally speaks, his voice is hoarse. "Zim is...too...different...for his own kind...for anyone..."

"No. No you're not." Danny said quietly.

Zim shut his eyes tight, trembling. Danny took a step toward him.

"Defectives don't belong." Zim said after a while.

"Zim...we're all defectives here." Danny replied softly.

The little alien's eyes opened and he turned to look at her sadly. Danny took another step toward him, smiling warmly.

Breathing slowly and heavily, Zim turned to face her completely, looking into her eyes. He looked down after a moment of silence. "So...you DO like Zim?" He asked quietly.

Danny smiled even more. "Yes...I do. A lot."

Zim slowly looked up at her, his expression soon morphing from sadness to joy, tears still in his eyes. He looked at the ground once more and sighed before returning his gaze back to her. "...I like you, too."

Danny immediately knelt down and scooped him up for a hug. Zim responded by struggling. "Ah, no! Don't hug me! No one..." His voice trailed off as he gave in and just let her hug him.

Danny put him down with a laugh. Trying to act tough, Zim crossed his arms and held his head high, though there's a hint of dark green on his already green skin.

"Have I told you that you're cute?" Danny asked teasingly. Zim merely looked at her like she had lost her mind, still blushing. Danny then fell to the ground, laughing hysterically. Zim groaned and brought a hand up to his face in annoyance.

Jaz, having been watching all of this, just stared at them in disbelief. Once she recovered, she growled. "FINE, Zim!"

Zim looked at her in surprise, as if he had forgotten she was there.

"If you think you really ARE going to make a good change in life, then I'll give you ONE more chance! Even though I'd love to destroy you right now and jut get it over with so I can go back home, I'm allowing you another chance to live. But if you displease me or do ANYTHING to hurt Danny," She shook her fist in his face to emphasize her point. "I will make you suffer in this life more than you ever will in the afterlife." She turned to Danny. "And as for YOU, Danny!"

Danny, having already been staring at her in disbelief, said nothing.

"Don't. You. EVER. Disobey my orders. AGAIN." Jaz turned and started walking back to the base. "Come on, Dib. We're reprogramming the base back to normal."

"What? But...he...you...ok." Dib said in defeat before following her back inside.

Danny stared after them in shock. "Okay…" She said after a moment's pause.

Zim looked up at her then looked away, rubbing his neck nervously. "Eh...So...how about that date?"

Danny looked at him. "I'd love to go on a date with you." She said with a smile.

Zim looked back at her in surprise, blushing. "Eh...Okay..."

GIR watched them, a goofy grin on his face and his tongue hanging out. "D'aaaawwww" the little robot sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Zim sat in his lab, staring at images and articles about dating on the computer screen. A look of anxiety was plastered on his face.

As his eyes were glued to the screen, GIR came charging into the room, his screaming obnoxiously loud. "WHATCHA DOOOOINNN?"

Zim jumped, screaming as he looked around the room frantically. He then noticed that it was only his dumb robot servant. "GIR! Get out of here! I'm working!"

"WHAT'S THAT?" The little robot shouted.

Zim immediately turned to the screen and took down all the images and articles, revealing the background. He turned back to GIR. "Nothing! It was nothing You didn't see ANYTHING!" He said defensively. GIR merely tilted his head to the side in confusion.

Zim pointed to the door. "Go do something useful and stop bothering me!"

GIR's eyes went from aqua green to red as he saluted his master. "YES SIR!" He said before flying out of the room on his rocket feet.

Zim sighed in relief before looking back at the computer screen and bringing everything back up. As he read further, he starts to twitch. His teeth start grinding and his eyes begin to flicker. Finally, he shut off the computer, unable to take anymore. He let out a short scream and dropped his head onto the control panel. He groaned in exasperation. "What am I DOING?" He lifted his head back up. "I am an Irken Invader! I shouldn't be feeling this way!" He stood up and walked out of the lab. "Something must be done..."

Zim walked through the base, talking to himself. "Listen Danny. As an Irken Invader, I have to take back my invitation on the date. I may be a Defective like you, but that shouldn't mean I can just go around and betray my own Empire, like YOU already have! And, uh, I take back everything I said about you being cute. You're not cute. You're actually hideous. Like a dog. I'm sorry. But then again, I'm really not. You just have to accept the fact that I'm too good for you. So get on with your horrible life while you still can before I DESTROY IT!..." Zim smiled to himself. "Yeah, that should work."

He stood smiling for a moment before a look of desperation washed over his face. He then brought his hands to his face in frustration. "I CAN'T DO IT!" He hung his head, ready to burst into tears at any moment. "What am I going to do?..."

"AW, MASTAH! WHY YOU ALL SAD?" GIR shouted, popping up in front Zim out of nowhere.

Startled, Zim inhaled deeply and screamed, fists in the air. "I DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE!" He grabbed GIR's face, staring him in the eyes. "I mean, of course I like Danny, but it's not like it's OKAY!" He looked up, picking up the small robot and holding him close.

"All I wanted to do was show her my appreciation for her kind words and actions, but I think I went too far! I actually ASKED her to go out with me, and she AGREED! If the Tallests were to ever find out about this, I'd be killed for sure!" He held GIR up by his head, looking him in the eyes again. "I don't know what I'm going to do, GIR!"

The phone rang.

Zim looked at the phone, rather dumbfounded. He dropped GIR and walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello?" He asked, wondering who could be calling him on this primitive Earth-phone.

Danny's voice sounded from the other end. "Hey Zim!" She said, rather cheerily.

Zim squealed to himself nervously then spoke into the phone, trying to keep his head. "Ehhh, h-hi Danny."

"Are you ok? You sound a little stressed." Danny said with a hint of concern in her voice.

"No, no! Don't be sillyyy, I'm perfectly normal! Yup. Prrretty normal."

"Um...okay... Anyway, I was calling to see if we're still on for that date."

"Uhh...s-sure! I mean, why not? It's just us two Defective Irkens after all, right?" Zim said, his heart racing.

"yyyyyyyyeah...Zim, are you sure you're ok?"

Zim trembled slightly, nearly dropping the phone. He catches it and puts it back up to his "ear", but he's left speechless.

"Zim? Are you still there?"

"Y-yes..." Zim slapped is forehead. "Danny, why are we doing this? We're betraying our own Empire."

Danny spoke with a tinge of annoyance in her voice. "No. We're not. I'm not even PART of the Empire anymore. The Tallest don't even know I exist. And as for YOU..." Danny sighed, her voice softening. "Zim, I know you don't believe this, but the Tallests are betraying you. I've told you this before."

"Danny, don't tell me you still think those lies are true! I am an Invader no matter WHAT Jaz tells you!" A fresh wave of anxiety came over him as he continues. "Which is exactly why I'm so nervous about this! If the Tallests were to know about this—"

"They won't find out! Because no one is going to tell them!"

"What if GIR tells them?! I can't exactly keep him shut off."

"I don't think GIR will be a problem. He's too easily distracted to care about what we're doing."

"Mmm...yeah, I guess so..." Zim said, not convinced.

"See? There's nothing to worry about."

"But...how in the world are we going to DO this!? Irkens never do ANYTHING that's anywhere related to dating! I don't know how to...and neither do you."

"Now hold on a minute. I never said I didn't know anything about dating. I've been on this planet long enough to know a thing or two."

"But, I've been here longer than YOU." Zim said defensively.

"And what were you DOING this whole time? Planning this planet's destruction. I'VE been studying the humans ever since I got here."

"Hey, I've been studying the humans, too!" Zim paused, thinking. "But then again, I have been pretty occupied with my plans."

"Exactly."

"So...it's...OKAY we're going out...right?" Zim asked, unsure.

Danny sighed. "Yes, Zim. It's okay."

"Even though I'm still betraying my Empire..."

Danny swallowed the urge to snap at him and took a deep breath. "Hey, What they don't know won't hurt 'em, right?"

Zim thought about this for a moment before coming to a realization. "Y...you know...you're right, Danny. I shouldn't worry. I am Zim! And Invader Zim never worries! I'm...I'm sure we'll be just fine, like you said."

"There. You see? All it takes a little positivity."

Zim laughed in relief, but quickly grew nervous again. "Still, I'm still not sure how to do this whole date-thing."

"You're a fast learner. You'll catch on." Danny said reassuringly.

"Okay. So, uhhh...I'll...see you this afternoon then?"

"Yup!" Danny replied, sounding rather chipper.

"Good! I'll talk to you later. I have to get a couple repairs done so the base will be protected while I'm gone."

"Okay! See you soon!"

"Bye, Danny." Zim hung up the phone, smiling. He looked around the room, feeling rather confident. "I have nothing to be afraid of. As long as I keep this secret away from the base, I'll be fine."

GIR sat on the floor, staring up at his master with his large, blue-green eyes and his goofy grin.

Zim looked at the little robot and pointed at him. "You didn't hear aanyythiiing...RIGHT?!"

GIR looked confused for a moment before blurting out excitedly, "NOPE!"

Zim smiled triumphantly. "Good, GIR."

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" GIR exclaimed, as if he had just won a fantastic prize.

"Now, I'm going back down to the lab to work on the repairs. You just stay here and...watch TV or something."

"SCARY MUNKY SHOW!" GIR Shouted, running to the TV and plopping down in front of it.

"And don't answer the door for anyone, alright?" Zim said, though knowing how pointless it was to say it. "Well at least you won't cause me much trouble while you're up here..." He then walked over to the toilet in the kitchen and flushed himself down to the lab.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Danny sat on a bench in the park, overlooking a large, blue lake. Her holographic blonde hair ruffling with the wind. She didn't notice as a small, green boy with an Elvis-style haircut approached her.

Zim walked up to her nervously. "Danny?"

Danny turned to him and smiled. "Zim!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Uh, hi." Zim sat down next to her, looking out at the empty park and let out a sigh. "Finally, a place in this world where no human dwells."

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Danny said, also looking out at the green park.

"Meh, for a piece of rock." Zim said dully.

Danny turned to him and gave him an annoyed look.

"I've been to much more beautiful planets than this." Zim stared out into the distance blankly, deep in thought. "...When you have to fight for your life against the unknown, this, it's hard to see it as anything close to beautiful."

Danny stared at him before turning back to the lake.

Zim turned his gaze to her. "How do you see so much GOOD in this planet anyhow?"

"I don't know. I just..." Danny paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "I guess I just see things in a different light than you do."

Zim stared at her for a moment before turning his gaze straight ahead. "Hmmm..." Zim kicked his legs back and forth like a restless child. He looked at Danny again. "So, what exactly do you DO on these 'dates'?"

Danny responded with a shrug. "Pretty much just hang out and talk."

"That's it?" Zim let out a "pffft" of laughter and lounged back on the bench, folding his hands together behind his head. "This is no different than at Skool!"

Danny looked at him for a moment then smirked. "I guess you're right."

"The only difference is we get to go away from all the other humans. This isn't so bad." Zim said contentedly.

" What did you think a date was?" Danny asked.

Zim sat up, his expression hardening. "Well, when I went to look it up on the Earth-internet, I read and saw things that told me dating was more HORRIFYING than enjoyable! Of course it's going to be horrifying to ME if the HUMANS find it enjoyable! I won't even tell you what I saw. It was...indecent." He cleared his throat. "But anyhow, nothing to worry about, huh?"

Danny stared at him for a moment. "Yeah." She finally said with a smile.

Zim relaxed, lounging back again with a sigh. "This is going to be easy." He paused for a moment. "I actually don't understand why this is considered immoral to the Irken Way. It's not like we're doing anything BAD." He turned his gaze to her. "Right?"

" Right. That's one of the reasons I left."

"You left Irk because you thought dating was okay?"

Danny chuckled. "No." Her expression sobers. "I left because the rules the Empire come up with are stupid."

Zim looked back at the park thoughtfully. "Yeah. I can agree with you on that. The Tallests of now and of previous times made up some pretty dumb rules and ideas." He sat up. "I'm going to change all that one day, when I become Tallest." A determined grin appeared on his face. "Things will be different! So different, in fact, that you'll WANT to come back!"

Danny didn't respond. She just watched him, her expression slightly worried.

Zim smiled proudly. "And when I'm Tallest, I'm finally going to do things MY way. No creature or machine will ever DARE to rise up against me! And if anyone does," He stood up on the bench, placing his fists on his hips. "They will suffer at the ruling hands of ZIIIM!"

Danny watched him sadly, silently wishing that what he was saying was true.

Zim stood looking ahead with a big, proud smile on his face. He brought his hands down to rest at his sides then looked at the blonde human girl next to him. "You're going to like Irk again. I know you will, once I take over."

Danny tried to return to his smile, barely succeeding.

Zim, oblivious to the poor girl's doubt and sorrow, sat back down, the proud smile still plastered on his face. "And if you ever get as tall as me, you can be the Co-Tallest."

" I'm already taller than you..."

"You are NOW, but one day I'll be far ahead of you, and then I'LL be saying that to YOU."

"We'll see." Danny said, smirking.

"Oh, we will, Danny. We will." Zim couldn't help but smile as he looked at her.

Danny giggled, trying not to burst into a fit of laughter.

Zim chuckled. "It's good to see that I can make someone other than myself just as happy."

"Mm-hm" Danny said, still trying not to laugh.

Zim looked back out at the lake. "I can't wait `til I'm Tallest. Then I can make even more people happy."

Danny, now calm, turned her gaze to the ground.

Zim looked at her. "Hey, you okay?"

Danny looked up at him, managing a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine."

" Well good! This is a perfect date so far. You SHOULD be happy."

"I am." Danny said sincerely

"Me too." Zim replied before looking up at the sky. The sun is low in the sky, signaling that evening is drawing near. "So," He looked back at Danny. "How long do these dates usually last?"

Danny shrugged. "We can call it a night whenever we want."

" Okay, but not right now. I'm having fun."

Danny snickered. "Okay."

"So tell me, is this really all there is to dating? Just sitting out by ourselves, laughing and talking?"

Danny hesitated. "Um, well...There is a BIT more to it than that..."

Zim watched her, listening intently. "Mmm hmmm?"

"But this IS our first date. So that is pretty much it. For now."

" Hehh? You can't tell Zim NOW?"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

" Hey, I need to know more about this "dating" so I can use it in advance to my mission! You must tell Ziiiiim!"

" Trust me. It won't help you with your mission."

" It WILL if it makes me look more human! Which so far it IS! Just tell me already!"

"No."

" TELL MEEEEEEEEEE!"

" NO!"

Zim poked her on the forehead, standing up so he looked her straight in the eyes. "Stop acting like you did at my house."

Danny merely blinked in response.

"It's getting annoying." Zim poked her forehead a couple of times. "Now you will tell Zim, or else Zim is leaving."

Danny glared at him. "Fine. You really want to know what it is?"

"Do you think I would be that serious if I DIDN'T want to know?"

" You asked for it." Danny grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him in, pressing her lips to his.

Zim, scared to death, immediately pushed her off and leapt off the bench, staring at her in shock.

Danny crossed her arms. "Next time I refuse to tell you something, LISTEN to me!"

"Wha—what on Irk was THAT!?" Zim shouted, covering his lips with his hands. "Is this a part of dating!? Eating people's faces off!?"

"No! It's called 'kissing'!"

Zim stared at her for a moment. "Kissing?" He blinked in confusion. "What is kissing?"

Danny raised an eyebrow at him. "What I just did. I just kissed you."

Zim stared at her then attempted to look down at his own lips. "HEH?"

Danny dropped her head and brought a hand up to her face in exasperation.

Zim looked back at her then back down at his lips. "I don't understand. I've never heard of kissing before...Wha...What is the purpose of it!?"

"To show affection for each other."

" Eating each other's faces is a way to show affection?"

"What? No!"

" Then what IS it!? You're not explaining it to me!"

"I..." Danny paused, thinking. "...Get back up here."

Zim stood there, guarding his face with his hands and staring at her with huge eyes.

Danny watched him, patting the seat next to her. "Come on."

Zim slowly put his hands back at his sides. He walked back to the bench and sat back down next to Danny, watching her carefully.

"Now just hold still."

Zim backed away. "No, no, nonononononono!"

"Do want to know more about this kissing business and look more normal or not!?"

"First EXPLAIN it to me."

"I CAN'T. It's not something that can be explained without it seeming weird. NOW LET ME DO IT RIGHT"

"NO!" Zim turned around stubbornly. "I'm not letting you attack my face again!"

"I'm not going to!"

" You just did before!"

" Yeah...but...I gave you the wrong impression. NOW TURN AROUND!"

" HMPH!" Zim crossed his arms, still turned away.

" DAMMIT ZIM, TURN AROUND!"

Zim violently turned around, about to go off like a bomb. "FINE!"

Danny jumped and leaned away from him.

Zim eyed her angrily. "Well, are you going to do it or not!?"

Danny remained in her previous position for a moment. "Um...okay..." She slowly leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

Zim immediately went from angry to confused. His eyes huge as he looked at her then down at thier lips.

Danny finally pulled away, looking at him. "Well?"

Zim just stared at her before slowly looking away, barely touching his lips with his fingertips.

"Zim?" Danny asked anxiously.

Zim looked back at her. "Do the humans do this often on dates?"

"Yeah."

Zim stood up on the bench, taking a step toward her as he leaned in. He kissed her then pulled away and stared at her, thinking. After a moment of consideration, he kissed her again, this time closing his eyes.

Danny stared at him for a bit, unsure of what to do. Eventually, she closed her eyes as well.

Zim slowly pulled away, opening his eyes and just staring at her silently. He sat back down and looked out at the park, hands folded in his lap. After a moment, he looked back at her. "That wasn't bad at all." He turned his gaze back out to the park. "I could get used to that."

Danny blinked, a little stunned. A smile soon crept across her face.

Zim looked back at her once more. "Have you done this 'kissing' before?"

"No..."

"Neat." Zim said, to which Danny responded with a looked of confusion. "I'm finally not behind on something that you're ahead of me on."

Danny giggled. "Don't get used to it."

Zim smirked, narrowing one eye. "Well, you had better tell me all there is to know about dating. I think I actually like it."

"Alright."

"Oh. Tomorrow morning? We're meeting up for another date."

"Are we, now?" Danny raised an eyebrow at him.

"That is, if you're not busy. And if GIR hasn't destroyed the base."

Danny laughed. "I'm not busy. But I can't speak for GIR."

Zim laughed with her. "You know, I should call him." A communicator popped out of his PAK and loomed over his head, projecting a screen in front of his face.

GIR appeared on the screen. "HI MASTAH!"

"GIR, how's the base?" Zim asked, dreading the answer.

GIR looked around, as if inspecting the house. "IT'S PURDEH!" He answered gleefully.

"I hardly know what that means...Never mind. Did anyone call while I was gone?"

"THE TALLESTS DID!" GIR shouted at top volume.

Zim leapt to his feet. "THEY DID!?" He looked at Danny then back at the screen. "Wh-what did they want?" He stammered.

"I don't knoooowwww"

Zim's patience was wearing thin. "GIR, tell me! What did they want!? It had to be an emergency if they called! NOW TELL ME!"

" AH LEIK MONKIES!" GIR shouted, giggling maniacally.

Zim was growing angry with his incompetent servant now. "GIIIIIIIIIIIIR! ANSWER YOUR MASTER! WHAT DID THE TALLESTS WANT!?"

GIR's eyes turned red and he saluted his master. "The Almighty Tallests request an audience with you, Master!"

"An audience? Did they specify why?"

" No, Sir!" GIR responded, eyes still red.

"Alright. Good work, GIR. Call me if anything else comes up, understand?"

" YESSIR!" Gir saluted once more before the screen went black.

The communicator retracted back into Zim's PAK. He nervously turned to Danny, his expression worried.

"You better hurry back to the base." She said understandingly.

"What about you?" Zim asked.

"I can find my own way back home, thanks." Danny replied with a smirk.

"Well, I knew that! I just meant...you know, our date and stuff." Zim stammered shyly.

"We'll just have to continue tomorrow morning." She said with a wink.

"Okay then." Zim stared at her for a moment before leaning over and kissing her one more time. He stared at her as he pulled away. "You have a nice kiss." He then leapt off the bench and took off through the park, waving as he ran. "Bye, Danny!"

Danny just sat there, staring after him. "Bye..." She said quietly.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Tallest Purple glared at the giant screen in the Main Transmission Room. "When the HELL are we going to find out if he's dead or not!?" He ranted, eye twitching.

Tallest Red glared at the screen as well. "Well, he hasn't shown up yet, so maybe he is."

"You have a point, but Invader Jaz was supposed to tell us yesterday if he was dead! Something is wrong here. She always calls back right after a mission. Why isn't she NOW?"

Red just continued to glare at the screen until a loud beeping interrupted his thoughts.

"Incoming transmission from Earth." A drone working at the controls informed them.

Red remained staring at the screen as he spoke. "Send it through."

The drone worked at the controls. The screen went fuzzy with static for a brief moment before a small, ruby-eyed Irken pops up.

"Invader Zim reporting in, Sirs!" The small Irken stated as he saluted his rulers.

The Tallests could only stare in shock and horror.

"Sorry I didn't receive your call. I was out investigating further on this planet's ways and weaknesses." Zim said, hands behind his back.

Red's expression hardened and he muttered under his breath. "Of course..." He raised his voice so that Zim could hear. "How goes the preparations for the Invasion? Everything going smoothly, I hope?"

"Yes, very smoothly, My Tallest. Everything is going according to my EVIL plan. I have a few plans, actually, but I'm trying to decide on which one is bes—" Before Zim could finish, Purple interjected.

"Yeah yeah, that's great Zim. WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!?" He demanded.

Zim stood there in confusion, staring at the two Leaders. " HEH? What are you—?"

This time, Red interrupts. "Uh...What he means to say is...um...OH LOOK! We have another transmission coming through!"

"But I—" Zim began.

"You there! Cut this transmission!" Red ordered, pointing at an Irken drone.

The drone immediately obeys and the screen goes black.

Purple stared at the screen for a moment before turning to his companion.

Red returned the gesture, obviously less than pleased.

"WHAT?! I was ANGRY!" Said Purple defensively.

Red replied by bringing his hand up to his face and groaning.

"It's not like he would've understood anyway! He's an idiot!" Purple continued, still trying to save face.

"And we're INCREDIBLY lucky he didn't catch on. Next time try to control yourself." Red told him.

Purple crossed his arms, pouting like a child.

Red turned back to the screen. "Now. I think we owe Jaz a call."

Purple turned to the screen as well. "Yeah."

Red snapped at another Drone. "You! Send a transmission to Invader Jaz!"

"Flik, NO! Stop pulling on the dog!" Yelled the blue-eyed female Irken. She was trying wrestle a tiny wiener dog out of a much younger Irken's grasp.

"IT BIT MY ARM OFF, I WANNA KILL IT!" Retorted the Crimson-eyed smeet.

"Let GO! Or you'll be suspended from the next mission!" Jaz shouted.

The smeet's eyes went wide with shock, then narrowed in anger as he released the poor canine.

Jaz carried the crying dog to the door, allowing it to leap out of her arms. The dog immediately fled down the street, yapping its head off. Jaz closed the door and looked back at the young Irken. "I TOLD you to stay away from the animals on this planet."

"It was barking like hell! I had to try to shut it up! And then it attacked me!" The smeet shouted.

"Yeah, well that's what you get for disobeying my orders." Said Jaz, unimpressed.

Just then, a computerized voice sounded from the house itself. "INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM THE MASSIVE!"

Jaz froze in shock and anticipation. "Oh boy...Send it through!"

Tallests Red and Purple immediately pop up on the television screen.

Jaz stood up straight like a soldier, saluting the Irken Rulers. "Greetings, My Almighty Tallests! I apologize for not calling in yesterday, but there was—"

"Why is Zim still alive?" Red asked, cutting her off.

Jaz tried to keep her cool as she answered. "My Tallests, I can explain! There was a, uh, horrible accident that happened, and it prevented me from getting anywhere NEAR Zim!"

"I find that hard to believe." Said Purple skeptically.

"Why don't you explain what it was exactly that prevented you from getting to him?" Red demanded

"M-my...base blew up." Jaz stammered.

Both Rulers stared at her as if she was crazy.

"It's true." She insisted. When neither of them looked convinced, she proceeded to explain further. "The BRAIN of the base got fried and it caused all kinds of malfunctions, and eventually my base began to blow up."

"What caused the BRAIN to get fried?" Purple asked, sounding genuinely interested.

" Uhh..." Jaz pointed to the smeet standing next to her, keeping her eyes glued to the screen. "Flik downloading too many songs to his Earth-iPhone."

The smeet looked up at her, confused.

Purple stared at them both, contemplating what she said.

Red was getting annoyed. "Just make sure you get him next time, okay!?"

Jaz saluted again. "YES, SIRS!"

"Good! Because if you don't, you WILL be punished." Said Purple, eyes narrowing.

" Severely." Red added.

Jaz broke out in a cold sweat and gulped, saluting once more. "I shall not fail you again."

"Good. This transmission is over." Red replied coldly. The screen immediately went black.

Jaz stood there, frozen and mortified.

Flik looked up at her. "Uhh, Jaz? You okay?" He asked, concerned for his companion.

Just then, a blonde teenage girl walked through the door. As soon as the door shut, the holographic disguise disappeared, revealing the Irken underneath.

Jaz immediately turned and ran up to her, grabbing her by the upper arms and screaming in her face. "I'M GOING TO DIE BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"WHA!?" Danny replied, startled.

Jaz released her, dropping her face into her hands and crying hysterically. "If you had only let me kill Zim when I had the chance!"

Danny could only watch in utter shock and confusion as Jaz continued to sob. After a few moments, she finally gathered herself and her expression softened. "What happened?"

"The Tallests called and threatened to destroy me if I fail to kill Zim again!" Jaz replied, her face still in her hands. She looked up at Danny with tears in her eyes. "Danny, I have to kill him. He's my only chance of survival." She begged before dropping her face into her hands again.

Danny watched her sadly. "Jaz...I can't let you do that..."

Jaz looked at her. "But I HAVE to! Do you want me to die!?"

"Of course I don't! Listen, let me talk to Zim. Maybe we can work something out."

"Oh sure, let's PRETEND that I killed Zim so that when Operation Impending Doom II is over, Zim will come flying back to Irk, and the Tallests will be SO overjoyed with giving me OVERKILL!"

"Umm...yeah...? Except for that last part..."

"They're going to kill me no matter what we do, Danny! I'm DOOMED!"

" Now hold on a minute. The Tallests just need to THINK Zim is dead. right? Maybe I can convince Zim to give up his mission and stay here on Earth with me once Impending Doom II is over." Danny suggested with a nervous shrug.

Jaz looked at her, seeming to be perfectly calm.

"THAT'S NEVER GOING TO WORK!" She blurted out after a moment's silence. "Zim's not going to give up his mission! He's too convinced with himself that he's an Invader!"

"We'll see about that." Danny's human disguise appeared and she turned around, marching to the door,

"Wha? Hey! W-where are you going!?" Jaz stammered.

"To Zim's base." Danny responded curtly.

"Danny, as much as I love to support you in everything, I have to be honest, like always. This is NOT going to work! And if it doesn't, I will be forced to kill Zim..."

Danny paused in the open doorway for a few minutes before suddenly walking out and slamming the door behind her.

Jaz's human disguise appeared as she opened the door. She ran outside and in front of Danny, blocking her path. "Danny, please listen! I don't WANT to kill Zim because I know how much you like him. But, I still have things...and people I need to save...back on our home planet..."

Danny paused and stared at her. "What?"

"Slaves, Danny! I need to save those who have been enslaved by our own Empire! Zim's doesn't even care about them! He's too much like a Regular to think for the lowly! I'm the only one who knows how to get into the prisons and save them all. If I die, no one else can save them."

Danny just stared at her with an unreadable expression.

Jaz looked at her sadly. "Danny, please...I know it sounds horrible, but killing Zim will actually do everyone good. Including myself!"

Danny continued to stare at her for a few minutes before turning away, tears forming in her eyes. "I..." She turned back to Jaz, eyes narrowing. "Out of my way." She pushed her aside and continued walking. "And DON'T follow me!" She shouted without looking back.

Jaz, now scared for her life, watches her walk away. "You can't DO this to me! I'M YOUR BEST FRIEND!" She trembled in fear as she watched her friend walk away. "FINE! Go visit your little BOYFRIEND! He's going to turn against us anyway!" She screamed as angry tears formed in her eyes. She turned around in a huff and stomped back into the house, slamming the door so hard that it leaves a crack in the wall above it.

Danny broke into a run as she bolted down the street for Zim's base. The tears were flowing freely now.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Zim sat in front of his giant computer, working on his plans to bring Earth to its destruction. He pauses occasionally to research dating.

"Hmmm...So this is what humans do in Dating stage 5..." He said to himself thoughtfully.

Somewhere up above, Danny flung the front door open, her human disguise disappearing immediately. "ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!" She shouted as loud as she possibly could.

Zim's antennae perked up and he looked around toward the elevator. "Danny?" He jumped to his feet and ran to the elevator, which shoots him up to the ground level.

Zim shot out of the toilet and landed face-first on the kitchen floor. "OOF!" His body flops to the ground and he lets out a moan before looking up and rubbing his head. "Danny, what are you doing here?"

Danny walked into the kitchen and stands over him, her expression angry.

Zim stood up, confused. "Is something wrong?"

"YES SOMETHING'S WRONG!" She shouted. "YOU!"

Zim was shocked. "WHA? What did I do!?"

"YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THE EMPIRE, YOU KNOW THAT!?" She grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and picked him up, screaming in his face. "AND BECAUSE OF YOU, JAZ IS ON DEATH ROW!"

"I-I don't understand!" Zim stammered, still confused and now a little scared. "What are you talking about!? What did I do wrong!? D-did I ruin the date or something? If I did, I'm sorry!"

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT OUR DATE!" Danny released him, causing him to fall to the floor.

Zim landed with a thud and a grunt of pain. He looked up at her, still confused and scared, and starting to get angry himself. "Hey! Why are you treating me like this!? We just had a wonderful time, didn't we? Why aren't you happy?"

Danny glared at him, tears slowly forming in her eyes. "I...I..." A laser gun pops out of her PAK and jams itself against the smaller alien's head. "I'm sorry, Zim, but this just isn't going to work..." The tears flow freely down her face.

Zim let out a gasp and jumped back in shock, staring at her with huge, confused and sad eyes. "Wha-wha-what is this? Danny, why are you acting this way?" He asked, backing away slowly. "You're not acting like yourself..."

Danny advanced on him, still crying. "HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW!? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME!"

"I know you well enough to know that you would never do this to me because you like me so much!" Zim said desperately. "You're not telling me anything! What did I DO!?"

Danny stared at him for a moment before speaking again. "You're too blind for your own good. You can't even see that the Tallests have been lying to you since you got here!"

"Wha...What do the Tallests have to do with this!?" Zim demanded, his anger starting to get the better of him.

"The Tallests sent Jaz here to destroy you! And now she can't because of me!" The laser gun retreated back into Danny's PAK and she dropped to her knees. Her head drops into her hands and she began to weep. "I don't want you to die...But I don't want Jaz to either..." She wrapped her arms around herself as if she had experienced a sudden chill. "I don't know what to do..."

Zim could only stand and stare. After several minutes, he finally speaks. "So you're trying to kill me?...Even after what we've been through?"

Danny looked up at him, angry again. "THAT'S what you took from that!?"

" I know the Tallests would never lie to me! They never have! They know that I am worthy enough to keep alive and serve them! I've been kept alive all these years! Why should I believe that they want me gone NOW!?" Zim shouted. "Unless..." He approached her, glaring into her face. "Unless you still believe in those lies Jaz told you! They're not true, Danny! Everything Jaz tells you about the Tallests is NOT true! I'm too GOOD to be dead! People need me, and I need to help my own kind! You're going to kill me over a couple of filthy lies!?"

"THEY'RE NOT LIES!" Danny shouted angrily.

"You've been BRAINWASHED to think that!" Zim's expression softened. " Danny, I can help you. I'll make it so you never heard those lies. You'll be back to normal and we can still go out!"

Danny only glared at him, saying nothing.

Zim held out a hand to her. "Danny, please let me help you. We can make this work. I WANT to make this work."

Danny stared at him for a moment before standing up.

Zim watched her, still holding out his hand to her.

Danny looked down at him with an unreadable expression, contemplating. She then turned around and started toward the door.

Zim ran up to her, blocking her path. "Danny...please stay. I want to help. I care about you."

Tears came to the female's eyes once again. "I'm sorry, Zim." She pushed him aside and opened the door. "But I'm siding with Jaz." Her human disguise appeared just as she stepped outside.

"NO!" Zim shouted, running up to her and grabbing her hand. "Danny, give me a chance! I don't even know what I did wrong! I'm just trying to follow what the Tallests told me to do!"

Danny yanked her hand away violently. "You didn't do anything wrong. Please don't make this any harder than it already is." She marched off the property and started walking down the street.

Zim ran after her. "Danny, don't make me force you!" Tears form in his angry little eyes as he pursues her. "I want to KEEP this relationship!"

"WELL I DON'T!" Danny shouted desperate to get away.

Zim froze in shock at her words. Tears formed in his eyes again as he started to tremble in rage. "NO! I'M GOING TO HELP YOU! AND I AM NOT LEAVING! YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO'S EVER LOVED ME! DOESN'T THAT MEAN ANYTHING!? WHY DO YOU ENJOYING TORTURING ZIM!?" A single tear escapes his eyes as he shouts.

Danny whirled around. "YOU THINK THIS IS EASY FOR ME!? I HATE THIS JUST AS MUCH AS YOU DO!" She shouted through her own tears.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS IF YOU HATE IT SO MUCH!?"

"BECAUSE...Because...I..." Danny's voice trailed off.

"BECAUSE YOU, WHAT!?"

Danny turned away. "I don't need to explain myself to you. You won't get it anyway. You never have." She started walking again.

Several robotic tentacles shoot out of Zim's PAK and wrap around her, pulling her back toward him. "STOP WALKING AWAY FROM ME! I'M NOT THAT BAD! I'm not! I'm not..." The tears start to flow down his face. "I'm not that bad..." He looked down, tears falling to the ground.

Danny stopped struggling against the tentacles and looked at him sadly.

Zim remained looking down, crying silently. After what seems like an eternity, he brings his hands up to his face and closes his eyes. "I can be good...I'm a good Irken..."

"Yes you are...In fact, you're great..." Danny hung her head sadly.

Zim remained looking down. "Then why are you doing this to me if I'm great?...I only try to do the best thing for everyone...for my people...I'm a good Irken, not a bad one..."

"I know..." Said Danny.

Zim looked up at her once the tears stopped flowing. "I'm taking you back inside with me." He leads her inside, the tentacles still wrapped around her. Once they get inside he gently releases her and closes the door.

Danny just stood there, sad and a little scared.

Zim looked down, thinking. "I want you to stay with me...Don't leave...Ever."

Danny said nothing.

"I like you too much to want you to leave..." He looked up at her. "Even if you are grumpy and irritable sometimes..." He hung his head once more. "I still like you..."

Danny wished more than anything she could stay there with him. But she also knew she had to get back to Jaz's base. "Zim...If you really feel that way, then let me leave. It's too painful for me to stay here."

Zim's head shot up and he looked at her, sad and scared. "No! I want you to stay!"

"Zim...please...let me go..." Danny pleaded hoarsely.

"You don't tell Zim why it is painful!"

"I can't stay here...I...I need to get back home."

"Why?! Stay here with me!"

"No." Danny replied. Forcing herself to be curt.

Zim ran up to her and hugged her. "Please don't go..."

Danny froze and looked down at him, surprised by the sudden display of affection.

Zim continued to hug her. "I don't want to be left like this...I'm so confused...You tell Zim all these things, and...I don't know what to believe...Please, don't leave me."

Danny, unable to take anymore, knelt down and held him close. "Okay...I'll stay..."

Zim's grasp tightened. "Thank you..."

After several minutes of silence, Zim opened his tightly shut eyes just a crack. "Explain to Zim again why this has happened..."

Danny sighed sadly. "Zim, please. It's behind us now. Let it go."

"No. You said you were doing this because of the Tallests. And they were planning to get rid of Jaz."

"Yeah...they're going to kill her if she doesn't destroy you..."

"But why? The Tallests never said..."

Danny looked down at him. "Said what?"

Zim looked back at her. "They never said anything about someone trying to kill me...or..."

"Do you really think if someone was trying to kill you, they'd tell you about it?"

"Yes, I do! The Tallests inform me on everything."

"Zim, if they told you about it, it would ruin everything."

"Ruin what?"

"Jaz's mission!"

"So? She shouldn't be trying to kill me in the first place! This is MY planet and MY mission. She has no right to take any of that-or my life away! I don't care what anyone says or believes." He let go of her and looked her in the eyes. "I AM an Invader! I have PROOF!"

Danny sighed in exasperation. "Okay...and that would be..."

Zim turned to the monkey picture on the wall. "Computer! Send a transmission through to the Tallests."

The picture immediately turned into a screen, fuzzy with static.

Zim looked back at Danny. "Words of honesty. THAT is my proof." He then turned his gaze back to the screen.

"What!? I don't think—" Before she could finish, the screen becomes clear and the Tallests now glare down at them.

Tallest Red is the first to speak. "What is it NOW, Zim!?" He demanded exasperatedly.

Purple glared down at them before noticing Danny. "Hey. Who is that?"

"Just a human dummy I made to mess with the Dib-Human." Zim replied curtly. "My Tallests, it has come to my attention that there are RUMORS about my mission being a FAKE. That you LIED to me."

Red and Purple froze in horror. How could he have possibly caught on?

Red recovered almost immediately, though the terror in his voice was hard to miss. "What!? Who told you that!?"

"Nobody you know. I want to know if it's true." Zim replied.

Red glanced at Purple, who was still frozen, before turning back to the screen. "Uh...we can assure you, Zim. Those rumors are not true."

Purple snapped back to his senses. "Yeah! Whoever told you that is crazy."

"I want proof." Zim said, still glaring up at the screen.

The Tallests' nerves were starting to get the better of them.

Tallest Red was once again the first to recover. "Zim, stop wasting our time. We sent you to Earth to prepare it for the Invasion. NOW GET BACK TO WORK AND STOP CALLING US WITH THESE RIDICULOUS ACCUSATIONS!" He shouted angrily.

"If I don't get proof at this very moment, I will come to the Massive myself and get the proof out of you there!" Zim said coldly.

"Are you THREATENING your Almighty Tallests!?" Red demanded.

"I've killed both previous Tallests. Don't think I can't do the same to you."

There was a moment of silence as Red and Zim stared each other down while Purple and Danny watched nervously.

Danny muttered under her breath. "Zim, this isn't a good idea..."

Zim whispered back to her without taking his eyes off the Irken Rulers. "Be quiet." His voice rose as he addressed the Tallests once more. "Am I a real Invader, or NOT?! You WILL tell me!"

"Yes! You ARE!" Red turned to his comrade. "Isn't that right?"

"Yeah!" Purple agreed. "We didn't send you to that planet just so we could get rid of you or anything! Stop listening to—"

"I want PROOF!" Zim interjected. "Give it to me, or ELSE!"

"We gave you a planet to take over! What more do you want!?" Red's patience was wearing thin.

"Show me my records!" Zim demanded.

Purple's eyes grew wide in anxiety.

Red glared back at Zim. "Fine. We'll call you back as soon as we have them."

" NO!" Zim shouted. "I want to see them NOW! Do it or I'll come to the Massive IMMEDIATELY!"

"Zim. We have MILLIONS of records. It's going to take a while to find yours."

"Then I'll WATCH you look for them..." Zim's voice grew icy. "Unless you need help FINDING them."

Red's eye twitched nervously. "Very well." He pointed to an Irken drone. "You! Bring up the records of all the Invaders!"

The drone began working at the controls, bringing up the files of all the Irken Invaders show up on the computer screen. The drone scrolled down the list, searching for a file that no longer exists.

Purple watched the screen nervously as Red continues to glare at Zim.

Zim stood in his base, arms crossed and scowling. Danny stands next to him, trying to look as expressionless as she can despite her growing anxiety.

After what seems like ages, Purple breaks the silence. "Uhh, I'm gonna go get some snacks." He starts to hover away.

"Get back here." Red ordered, not breaking his gaze from the screen.

"But I..." Purple began.

"Get. Back. Here." Red's voice was cold. Colder than Purple had ever heard it before.

The tall, purple-eyed Irken hesitated before slowly hovering back to his partner, trembling slightly.

"Hurry it up!" Zim said impatiently.

"The drones are going as fast as they can, Zim." Red replied.

"If you ARE lying to me, I WILL KILL YOU BOTH. WITHOUT HESITATION." Zim stated.

Red's eye twitched again in anger. Purple began to tremble even more, beads of sweat starting to form on his skin.

Suddenly, the computer beeped.

"Uhhh, Sirs?" The drone said anxiously.

Red finally tore his gaze away from the screen. "What?" He demanded icily.

"W-we went through the entire list..."

"AND!?" Zim shouted from the other end of the Transmission.

The drone began to tremble. "H-h-he's not...here..."

Zim's eyes widened n shock and realization. Danny glanced at him nervously. Purple's jaw dropped in horror. Red's eyes narrowed.

"He MUST be! Look again!" Red demanded.

The Drone scrolled through the list, terrified.

Zim's eyes twitched and flickered in anger as he watched the screen.

Purple twiddled his fingers, trying to keep his cool. Red watched the drone, now avoiding eye contact with the little Irken on the screen.

"THIS IS TAKING TOO LONG!" Zim shouted furiously.

Red whipped his gaze back to him. "If you don't like it, get back to work and we'll call you when we have your file!"

The drone turned around to face his rulers. "Sir, I still can't find it!"

Zim glared coldly at both Tallests. "So it was all true."

"NO! THE RUMORS ARE NOT TRUE! YOU'RE AN INVADER, REALLY!" Purple shouted, now panicking.

Red could only stare blankly as the realization that Zim had finally figured it out sunk in.

Purple rushed over to the drone and whacked him on the head. "LOOK HARDER! IT'S GOT TO BE THERE!"

The drone began to scroll through the files again, tears streaming down his face in fear.

"You have messed with the wrong Irken." Zim said darkly before the screen goes black.

Purple stared at the dark screen in horror and cursed.

Red didn't seem to notice any of this as he continued to stare straight ahead.

Purple turned his gaze to Red, at first horrified, but quickly becoming angry. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! IF YOU HADN'T COME UP WITH THAT STUPID, FAKE MISSION AT THE INVADER CONVENTION, THIS WOULDN'T BE HAPPENING!" He screamed.

Red didn't even seem to notice that and continued to stare blankly.

Purple grabbed him and shook him violently. "WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO DO!? YOU GOT US INTO THIS MESS, YOU GET US OUT OF IT!"

Red finally snapped out of his trance and looked at Purple. "Wha-HUH!? Oh." His expression hardens. "I'll tell you what we're going to do. Zim thinks he can just march up to us and take us down? Well, guess what? We've got an entire army on our side. When Zim gets here, we'll be ready. And he will be annihilated."

Purple stared at him for a moment. "WE'RE GONNA DIE!" He blurted out before throwing his arms in the air and shooting out of the room, screaming the entire way.

Red, completely unfazed by his comrade's sudden outburst, grabs a microphone and speaks into it. "Everyone report to the convention room at once! I repeat; All Irkens report to the Convention room immediately!"

His voice echoed throughout the Massive and the smaller ships hovering alongside it.

Every Irken immediately dropped what they were doing and listened intently to Tallest Red's broadcast. When it ended, they all made their way to the Convention Room without hesitation.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Danny stood looking at Zim with a worried expression on her face. "Zim?"

Zim's fists tightened as he glared straight ahead.

"Zim, are you ok?" Danny asked.

Zim didn't answer.

Danny watched him for a moment. "Zim...I'm so sorry."

Zim slowly turned and walked away aimlessly. "This isn't real...It can't be real..."

Danny watched him sadly in silence, wishing there was something she could do.

"All of my efforts and plans...were for nothing?" Zim said mindlessly to himself, still walking away aimlessly. He paused, looking at the ground with wide, expressionless eyes. His fists slowly began to shake. His breathing became rapid. Finally, when he couldn't take anymore, he screamed the loudest he's ever screamed in his life as weapons pop out of his PAK and he starts attacking and destroying everything in sight.

"Zim! Stop it" Danny yelled, grabbing him and holding him tighter than ever. "Zim, please! Calm down!"

Zim turned on her, still screaming uncontrollably and blinded by rage. "GET AWAY FROM ME, HUMAN!"

Danny struggled to hold on to him as he clawed at her. "ZIM! IT'S ME!" Her human disguise disappeared to reveal the tall female Irken female underneath.

Zim gasped in shock and stopped attacking her. He stared at her as he struggled to catch his breath.

Danny pulled him close again, holding him tightly. Zim, still in shock, didn't protest. He just stared at nothing with wide eyes. Tears formed in his eyes and he started to tremble. "No..." He managed to choke out. "No!" He pushed her off and backed away, suddenly scared. "NO! Stay away from me!"

Danny just looked at him, stunned. "W-what's wrong?"

"Get out of my house!" Was Zim's response as a gun popped out of his PAK and landed in his hands. He aimed it at her and shouted again. "GET OUT!"

Danny stared at him in shock for a moment before slowly getting to her feet and backing away from him toward the door.

Zim trembled as tears poured down his face, still holding the gun up to her.

Danny sadly turned to the door and opened it. Her human disguise appeared once more as she stepped outside.

Zim was now trembling so violently that the gun fell from his hands. He dropped to his hands and knees, crying out loud.

* * *  
Jaz was nervously walking in circles around her lab as Flik stood by and watched her.

"INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM THE MASSIVE!" The computer suddenly burst out.

Jaz jumped and turned to her smeet assistant. "I'm not here!" She informed him just before jumping behind a piece of equipment.

Flik nervously turned to the screen. "Send it through!" He squeaked.

The screen displayed static for a moment before two very tall and angry looking Irkens appeared.

"FLIK! Where is Jaz!?" Demanded the Irken dressed in red and black robes.

"She's not present in the base at the moment!" Flik replied.

"Well where IS she!?" Red demanded again.

"Out on another mission to destroy Zim, Sirs!"

"That's funny, we just got a call from Zim." Red replied sarcastically. "He's finally caught on. He says someone told him his mission is a fake. You wouldn't happen to know who it was, would you?"

Flik hesitated. "Not at all, Sirs."

"Are you sure!?" Asked the Irken dressed in purple.

Flik nodded. "Absolutely. I don't know anyone who would even bother telling him. He's too stubborn to listen to those kinds of things...at least so it's seemed."

Red's eyes narrowed. "Well, when you her, tell her to contact us."

"Yes, Sirs!" Flik said, saluting. "Anything else?"

"No. That will be all." Red responded. He turned his attention to a drone off-screen. "You! Cut the transmission!" The screen immediately went fuzzy again before going black a split second later.

Flik turned to his master, who was now crawling out of her hiding place. "Zim finally got it!?" He exclaimed, stunned. "But he's such an idiot!" He continued as he looked away, rubbing his head.

Jaz 's antennae perked up and her eyes grew wide. "Danny."

Flik looked at her.

"It must have been her" She got to her feet. "We've got to help her."

Unbeknownst to either of them, Danny was now walking up the sidewalk to the front door of the base, still crying.

A communicator popped out of Jaz's Pak and positioned itself in front of her face. "Danny, respond! This is Jaz! What's going on!?"

Upstairs, Danny ignored the beeping coming from her PAK and walked into the base, closing the door behind her. She looked around, still ignoring the insistent beeping. "Jaz?"

Jaz was still attempting to get a hold of her friend through the communicator. "DANNY! Where are you!? We just received a call from the Tallests! Answer me!"

Finally, the beeping gets to be too much and the communicator pops out of Danny's PAK. "WHAT!?" She shouted before realizing it was Jaz on the screen. "Oh...Hi Jaz."

"Danny! What the HELL is going on!?" Jaz asked hysterically. "The Tallests just called and said that Zim knows! Are you still at his base!?"

"No. I'm not." Danny replied, exasperated. She turned the communicator around to show the rest of the base. "Does any of this look familiar to you?" She asked as she turned the communicator back on herself.

"OH!" Jaz exclaimed, relieved. "Oh, thank GOD, you're home! Hold on!" The screen goes fuzzy then black. The communicator retracts back into Danny's PAK just as Jaz and Flik come up the elevator and run over to her. "Danny, you're in danger!" Jaz cried.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, originally the Tallests wanted to kill ME for not killing Zim yet. Now they want to kill whoever told Zim that his mission was a fake!" Jaz explained. "You told him, I know you did!"

"The Tallests don't even know I exist." Danny replied, slightly annoyed.

"Danny, this is still serious! Someone is going to get killed!"

Flik interjected. "Uhh, actually Danny, the Tallests COULD know if you're alive or not."

Both females looked down at him.

Flik looked at both of them as he explained. "Remember the Control Brains? They keep memory records of all Irkens who have had their activated or deactivated." He pointed at Danny. "Your PAK hasn't been deactivated. Therefore, the Control Brains still list you as alive and existent."

Jaz gasped in horror as she realized that what Flik was saying was true.

Danny still wasn't convinced. "But they don't even know I'm on Earth."

"It doesn't matter, they still know you're not dead." His tone turned grim. "Danny, you really _are_ in danger."

Danny remained silent, thinking everything over.

Jaz turned to her, deciding to change the subject for the time being. "How did he take it?"

Danny remained looking down thoughtfully as she replied. "He didn't believe me at first. He thought I had been brainwashed to believe what you had told me. And it didn't help that I held a gun to his head."

"Is that all?"

"No. I couldn't bring myself to kill him, so I tried to leave, but he wouldn't let me. I finally agreed to stay with him. He tried to prove to me that he was an Invader by calling the Tallests and demanding proof that his mission was real."

Jaz's eyes grew wide in shock and horror. "Oh god."

Danny continued as if she didn't hear her. "After a while, Zim finally caught on and threatened to kill them. The transmission ended and he went crazy. I tried to calm him down, but he pointed a gun at me and told me to leave."

Jaz turned her gaze back to her in surprise. "Oh, Danny" She took a step toward her companion and hugged her.

Danny just stood there silently, unable to shed anymore tears.

"He's too dangerous to be with." Jaz said gently. He released the poor green-eyed "human" female and looked at her and Flik both. "Come on. We gotta figure out a plan. Something to keep us all alive."

There were several minutes of silence before Flik spoke up. "I got nothin'."

Jaz groaned. "Come on, you guys! We've got to figure out SOMETHING! There has to be a way out of this!"

" Well, why don't _you_ come up with something?" Danny snapped at her.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Jaz replied, slapping her hand to her head and shutting her eyes tight.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Everyone jolted back to reality and turned to the door.

"I'll get it." Jaz volunteered, walking up to the door as her own human disguise appears. She opens the door and gasps in shock.

On the other side of the door stood a familiar teenage boy in a trench coat. His skin and clothes black with soot, looking like he had just been burnt to a crisp. He fell face forward through the door almost as soon as it was opened.

"Dib!" Jaz exclaimed, kneeling down to him and rolling him over onto his back. "Come on, wake up!" She pleaded as Danny and Flik rush over.

Dib weakly opened his eyes and spoke hoarsely. "I was just at Zim's base...I followed him to his ship...I tried to get in too...but the engines went off...I was hoping one of you might be able to help me catch him..."

"Yes!" Jaz cried. "Yes, of course we'll help you!" She helps him sit up and puts his arm over her shoulders and stands up, pulling him up with her. "Come on." She started walking back to the elevator as Danny closed the front door.

"I'll get the human supplies for Dib!" Flik announced before running out of the room.

Jaz looked at Dib as they walked. "Zim is going to our leaders' ship to kill them. We're going to be facing a lot of serious danger, Dib."

Dib looked back at her. "Wait, what? Why would he do that?"

"It's a long story, I'll tell you on the way."

Dib looked at her in confusion. "Okay..."

Jaz paused, closing her eyes in thought for a second. "Dib," She said, turning to him. "I think maybe you shouldn't come. This is going to be a life and death situation. I don't want you to get killed."

""But I—" Dib began.

"She's right." Danny interrupted. "It's possible none of us will make it out alive."

"But—" Dib started to protest.

"Dib, I like you." Jaz said. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you." She turns around and starts walking back to the door. "I'm going to take you back home, where you'll be safe."

"No!" Dib shouted, digging his heels into the ground, forcing Jaz to stop.

"Dib, you might get killed! I can't allow that!"

"I don't care!"

"But—"

"No! I'm coming with you! And there's nothing you can say to change my mind!"

Jaz stared at him sadly, realizing that he was dead set on coming with them.

Danny spoke up. "Are you sure?"

"YES!" Dib shouted.

"But why?" Jaz asked. "You may never make it back to Earth."

"By the sound of it, you guys could use all the help you can get." Dib replied.

Jaz stared at him then hung her head in defeat. "Okay, Dib..." She looked back up at him. "But don't say I never told you."

Dib merely nodded in response.

"We STILL don't have a plan." Danny pointed out.

Jaz turned back around and walked away from the front door. "We'll think of one. Right now we just need to get to Zim and stop him before he does anything more stupid."

Just then, Flik came back up the elevator and ran over to them. "I got the supplies!"

"Great!" Jaz took the supplies from him. "Go get all the weapons you can carry!"

"Yes ma`am!" Flik ran back to the elevator which immediately took him back down to the lab.

Jaz turned to Danny. "Danny, can you help Flik? I'll get the ship ready and take care of Dib."

Danny turned and followed after Flik without a word.

Jaz turned back to Dib. "Come on, we're almost there." She smiled and continued to walk to the elevator which takes her up to the Voot hangar. She walked over to the larger of the ships and opened it, helping Dib inside and sat him down on the pilot's chair. "Are you okay?" She asked as her human disguise disappeared.

"Yeah. I'm fine" Dib replied with a smile. "Thanks"

"You don't have any cuts or wounds?"

"I don't think so."

Jaz looked him over. "You're filthy." She reached into a small compartment in the ship and pulled out a couple of cloths. "Hold still." She began to rub the dirt and ash off of his face.

Dib flinched, but then composed himself and looked at her.

Jaz continued to clean his face, but his glasses soon got in the way. "I'm gonna take your glasses off for a second." She carefully removed them from his face. "Close your eyes." She resumed cleaning off his face, rubbing a little more gently. Careful not to hurt his eyes. Once she finished, she placed the glasses back on his face. "There. Much better." She said, standing up and looking down at him with a smile.

Dib adjusted his glasses and thanked her. Jaz nodded.

"Dib, are you sure you're okay with this?" She asked. "You'll be the only human taking part, and we may be gone for a very long time...and, like Danny said before, we may all get killed. You don't really want to die...do you?"

Dib looked up at her. "I can't just let you and Danny go into this alone. You're the only friends I've ever had." He paused, looking down in surprised. "Which, if you think about it, is kinda ironic."

Jaz giggled. "Yeah, I guess it is." Her tone and expression became worried again. "I still don't want you to die, though. You're too good of a person."

Dib looked back up at her. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Jaz sat down beside him, resting her arms on her knees. "You don't even know what we're going to face. This isn't the same as trying to stop Zim. There's going to be rivers of all kinds of blood, not just Irken's. I know you've put up with some serious crap from Zim, but this is something even I can't bear." Jaz looked down in despair.

Dib watched her thoughtfully. "I'm still coming." He said after a while.

Jaz looked at him. "You're really not afraid of death, are you?"

Dib managed a smile. "Not if it's a result of doing the right thing."

Jaz stared at him. Suddenly, she threw her arms around him and hugged him.

Dib nearly jumped in surprise and just sat there, unsure of what to do. After a moment, he returned the hug.

Jaz pulled away, smiling and rubbing her head in embarrassment. "I guess I'm really glad you're coming. You're actually a big support to me." She said, her face turning a darker shade of green.

Dib stared at her. "Really?"

"Yeah." Jaz put her feet up on the seat and hugged her legs, looking straight out the window into the hangar. "To be perfectly honest, I'm scared to death. I mean, I was threatened by my own leaders that I would be killed if I failed to stop Zim again, and now all my friend's lives are in danger...because I didn't get rid of him..." She hung her head. "But...even with being the biggest pain in my neck, I can't REALLY kill Zim. Danny likes him too much..." Her expression turned from worry to exhaustion. "But honestly, I don't know what she sees in him." She remained looking down, not speaking for several minutes. "It's kind of weird...how both of us don't get along with our own kind." She said thoughtfully.

"You didn't get along with anyone on your home planet?" Dib asked, intrigued by this new piece of information.

"I'm a Defective, just like Danny and Zim. Of course I don't get along with anyone...But it's okay. They're all idiots anyway."

There was another moment of silence as Jaz continued to look down and Dib watched her.

"But I can't just abandon it. It's the only home I got." Jaz continued. "I don't really have a choice to leave. Every Irken, Defective or not, is programmed to stay with the Empire, whether we choose to serve it or not. The only ones who truly want to serve it are the Regulars. As for me...well...I just want things to be different."

"Different, how?" Dib asked.

Jaz looked at him. "Different like YOUR planet. Where everyone is allowed to be different and not be destroyed for it. My home planet is a prison. A giant gang club. In Earth-terms, a clan of Nazis. Nothing more than that." She closed her eyes and hung her head sadly. She looked back at him with big eyes. "I sometimes wish I was a human instead."

Dib only stared at her in thoughtful silence.

Jaz watched him. When he didn't reply, she hung her head again. "Ugh. Never mind. I don't expect you to get it anyway. It's not like YOU ever wanted to belong to another race or species."

Dib finally spoke up. "Actually, I do get it. I've never wanted to be part of another race or species, but I HAVE wanted to leave Earth on several occasions." He looked out the window into the Voot hangar. "The humans on this planet are just DUMB. Most of them, anyway."

Jaz looked at him thoughtfully as a smile crept across her face. "I like you a lot, Dib."

Dib whipped his gaze back to her in surprise.

Jaz giggled at his reaction. "If I wasn't Irken, I'd be a human so I can hang with you all the time."

"Oh..." Said Dib, failing to mask his disappointment. "Yeah, that would be cool."

Jaz rolled her eyes to the side, still smiling. "And then I could say I secretly admire you without feeling guilty about it."

Dib's face went bright red. "Huh? Y-you do?"

Jaz looked at him, smiling sweetly and nodded.

Dib could only stare in shock, blushing like mad.

Jaz tried to continue smiling. "Still, it's hard for Irkens and humans to really get along in life without a billion complications. It's best that they don't." No longer smiling, she stood up and walked over to the controls to prepare the ship for lift-off.

Dib watched her go and slumped his shoulders, hanging his head.

Just then, Danny and Flik appeared, both holding large bags.

"We got all the weapons, Jaz!" Flik announced proudly.

"Great!" Said Jaz, her spirits lifted slightly. "Throw them in the back and let's get out of here!"

Danny and Flik climbed into the ship and dumped the bags out into large compartments in the back of the ship.

Jaz fired up the engines, causing the ship to shake a little. "Everyone hang onto something!"

The roof of the house opened up and the ship shot out, sending the small group on their way.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The ship finally slowed down, allowing everyone to situate themselves. Danny had been flung against the back wall and sunk down to the floor. She rubbed her head and cursed under her breath as she pushed herself back to her feet. Flik had been flung onto the ceiling and had fallen with a loud THUD to the floor. He sat himself up, slightly dizzy. Jaz had fallen back on Dib, who was still seated in the pilot's chair, and was now lying across his lap. She blinked as she looked up at him. They both blushed vibrantly as their eyes met.

Jaz leapt to her feet, standing like a soldier, arms flat against her sides. She cleared her throat and went back over to the controls, careful not to look back at Dib, still blushing.

Dib looked down, heavily embarrassed and still blushing madly. He didn't look up as Danny approached the front of the ship.

"So what now?" She asked skeptically. "How are we supposed to find Zim before he reaches the Massive? For all we know, he could be there already."

"Not likely." Jaz replied calmly. "The Massive is still a long ways off, even for where Zim might be right now." She turned to face Danny. "Besides, I placed a tracking device in his PAK, one he isn't able to detect. I used one on Flik once, and he didn't even know it was there until I pointed it out, and we know how smart and observant Flik is."

Flik walked up to them, looking at Danny. "It's one of the best tracking devices in Irken technology. We'll be able to track Zim down easily."

"Okay..." Danny replied, still not convinced. "But how are we supposed to CATCH him? Even at hyper speed we won't get to him before he reaches the Massive. We've lost too much time."

Jaz glared at her. "You and your pessimism are NOT helping, Danny."

Danny glared right back at her. "I'm being REALISTIC!"

Jaz turned around in a huff. "Why can't you be more optimistic like Dib!?"

Danny whirled around to face the human boy. "SURELY you can see that catching up to Zim is a lost cause at this point, RIGHT!?"

Dib looked back and forth between the two of them nervously. "Uhhh..." Was all he could manage to choke out.

Jaz turned to face Danny again. "Hey, we don't even know how far ahead Zim is! Let me just check the damn location before you get all down and pissy about it!" She turned back to the control panel and fiddled with the holographic screen. "AHAH!" She exclaimed suddenly, turning back to the others and pointing to the display. "You see? Zim isn't too far ahead of us! We KNOW we can catch him now."

Danny stared at the screen in disbelief.

Jaz turned back to the controls, smiling triumphantly. Her smile fades as she realizes something is wrong. "Hold on..." She fiddles with the controls some more. "Something's not right here. Zim isn't moving." She immediately pushes a lever on the control panel, making the ship speed up.

After what seems like an eternity, they finally spot Zim's ship. As they approach it, they notice that the ship is still intact, but there is no pilot.

Jaz and Flik leaned toward the glass of the ship to get a better look.

"OH MY GOD!" Flik shouted suddenly. "He's DEAD!"

"WHAT!?" Danny immediately leaned over the control panel, practically smashing her face against the glass.

Lying on the floor of the other ship, was a small, lifeless Irken body.

Jaz went to work on the controls, her hands a blur as she works as fast as she can. A few dozen robotic tentacles shoot out of the ship and pull it closer. Jaz pulls a collar out of one of the compartments and puts it on. A helmet immediately forms and takes the shape of her head. She exits through the airlock on the side of the ship and returns a moment later, holding the lifeless, wide-eyed, Irken boy.

"NO!" Danny screamed, running over to them. "Nonononononono!" Tears formed in her eyes as she took the body from Jaz. "ZIM! PLEASE! SPEAK TO ME!"

Dib and Flik watched them, stunned and speechless. Jaz stared at Zim in Danny's arms thoughtfully.

"Hold on." She said. "I think I know the problem." She looks at Danny and holds out her arms. "Danny, if I may?"

Danny looked at her with large, tearful eyes and nodded.

Jaz took the body from her and knelt down, carefully laying him on the ground. She flips his PAK open and examines it. "Flik! My spectacles!"

Flik dug through a compartment near the control panel and retrieved the glasses. He ran over to his master and handed them to her.

Jaz placed them on and continued to inspect the PAK. "Oh my..." She finally muttered. "His PAK's been fried."

"WHAT!?" Danny cried. "HOW!?"

"I don't know, I'm trying to figure that out." As she continued looking through the PAK, her eyes slowly widen. "OHHHHHH..." She breathed. "His emotions-chip overheated and melted. I guess taking the truth was more than he could handle." She looked at Danny. "He's not really dead. His body isn't decaying, so that means he's still alive. He just needs a new emotions-chip...and probably a couple other things, since it melted some wires."

Danny, reduced to a sobbing mess, tried to calm down. "D-do you have those things?" She stammered, breathing deeply"

"No...unfortunately not." Jaz carefully closed the PAK and rolled Zim over, looking at his face. His mouth was closed and his eyes were wide open and dim. There was no hint of a sparkle. They had been reduced to solid, dull rubies. The skin under his eyes was also discolored and dark.

Danny had failed to calm down and was still hysterical. "Well how do we get them!?"

Jaz continued to look at Zim for several seconds before looking up at her. "You can only get them at the Massive."

Flik's eyes grew wide. Dib watched in silence as he took everything in. Danny, on the other hand, seemed to finally calm down as a look of determination crossed her face.

"Then that's where we're going!" She said.

"Hold on!" Jaz stood up. "It's important that we go, but remember, the Tallests want him dead! When he's in this state, it's easy for him to be killed! Plus, we're out numbered and we STILL don't have a plan yet! We need to think this over first."

Danny growled under her breath in annoyance.

Jaz looked down, thoughtfully, hand on chin. She then turned to Dib. "Dib!"

Dib jumped and looked at her.

"I know you don't like Zim, but he's a lot less bothersome in this state. Do you think you and Danny can take turns watching him?" She asked. "I would also ask Flik to do it, but he's too abusive."

Flik nodded in agreement.

"I'll also take turns watching over Zim." Jaz added.

Dib hesitated. "Um, sure." He answered.

Danny had finally calmed down completely. "I'll take the first watch." She picked him up off the floor and held him close.

Jaz looked at them both sadly. "Alright." She leaned in a little and whispered so that only Danny could hear. "Do you want to be left alone?"

Danny nodded.

"Okay, Danny...Take as long as you need. Alright?"

Danny turned and left the control-room, Zim still in her arms, and disappeared behind a door.

Jaz watched her leave then turned to the others sadly.

Flik looked up at her. "Uhh, do you mind if I just go do my own thing?"

"No, go ahead." Jaz replied, her tone soft and quiet.

Flik walked over to the far corner of the room and sits down. A helmet pops out of his PAK and he puts it on, flipping the visor down to watch a movie.

Jaz stood there, staring at the floor silently.

Dib watched her. "You ok?" He asked.

Jaz said nothing as she walked over and sat down next to him on the huge pilot's seat. She stared out at the stars in sorrow.

Dib watched her, unsure of what to say or do.

Jaz sat in silence for several minutes before finally bursting. "See, THIS is why I can't kill Zim! Because Danny..." Her face dropped into her hands.

Dib leaned away from her, anticipating another outburst. When she doesn't lash out again, he sits back up and just watches her.

Jaz peeked up at the window. "I personally think Danny needs Zim more than she needs me." She brings her feet up onto the seat and hugs her legs. "I know she's my friend...but, it's like the only thing she ever cares about is Zim." She hung her head and shook it ever so slightly. "And I know that sounds selfish of me, but, all Zim ever does is hurt people in the end, especially Danny."

"Don't say that. Danny needs you just as much. If not more." Dib said sympathetically.

Jaz turned her gaze to him.

"I'm sure of it." He added with a smile.

Jaz wasn't convinced. "But when or IF we survive this whole ordeal, Danny will go back to her new home planet, and I'll go back to Irk, and Flik will have moved on." She looked away. "I'll be completely alone again." She closed her eyes sadly.

Dib's smile faded. "You...don't HAVE to go back to Irk...do you?"

Jaz opened her eyes, still looking away. "I can't just leave my home planet. Even though I HATE it."

"Then why would you go back?"

"It's the only home I've ever known."

"You could make Earth your home..." Dib suggested.

Jaz lifted her head and looked at him.

Dib smiled. "You know...so you won't be alone."

Jaz didn't know quite how to take that. "B-b-bu-bu—" She stammered, unable to form proper sentences.

"Are you ok?" Dib asked.

"Dib, I..." Jaz's face was turning a vibrant shade of green again. She shook her head violently. "N-no! No, I-I-I can't! All of the water and the meat and the sewage and—"

"You've learned to live with it this long." Dib pointed out.

"Well, yes, but..." She looked away, fiddling with her fingers.

"So...what's the problem?"

Shy and embarrassed, she glanced back at him, looking at him for a moment, then looked back at her fingers, sinking into the seat and blushing.

"Jaz?" Dib said. "What do you say?"

Jaz was now incredibly nervous. "I...w-well, I..."

Dib watched her, eagerly anticipating her answer.

Jaz looked at him nervously and blushed even harder, moaning lightly. Finally, when she couldn't take it anymore, she turned her back to him, hiding her face in her hands. "GAHH!" She cried. "Why do I find you so attractive!?"

Dib's face turned a brilliant shade of red.

Jaz moaned in embarrassment, still blushing harder than ever. "I'm sorry." She croaked.

"N-no. It's okay...You just caught me by surprise is all..." Dib stammered.

Jaz, feeling like she could drop dead right then and there, hunched over, hiding her face even further, unable to face him.

Dib smirked. "Actually, I find you attractive too. Especially in your human disguise." Almost immediately after he said it, he wished he hadn't. "N-not that I don't think you're attractive WITHOUT your disguise! It's just, well, you're an Irken and...um..." He groaned and hid his own face in his hands. "Just forget it."

Jaz looked at him, still blushing with huge eyes. "You think...I'm attractive, too?"

Dib brought his head up and looked at her. "Yeah."

Jaz sat in astonishment, unable to feel anything besides pure joy. She squealed loudly and tackled him, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

Dib sat frozen, not believing what had just happened.

Jaz laughed. "OMGDIBYOUHAVENOIDEAHOWHAPPYTHATMAKESMEYOUAREJUSTSOSWEETANDCUTEANDNICEANDWONDERFULICAN'TBELIEVEWHATIJUSTHEARDYOUSAYIT'SUNBELIEVABLEICOULDJUST—"

From the other side of the room, Flik, still wearing the movie-helmet, shouted at them. "Could you keep it DOWN over there? I'm TRYING to watch a movie! I shouldn't even be ABLE to hear you!"

Dib and Jaz stared at each other, blushing. Jaz's eyes shifted to the side.

"Uh...so! The Massive!" Dib said. "Don't we need a plan? Or something?"

"Not really, no." Jaz replied. "We need Danny with us to figure it out. But she's busy. So..." She looked down at her arms then back at him. "Umm...am I hurting you?"

"No. Not at all."

"Oh, okay." Jaz smiled and pressed the side of her face against his. They sat in content silence for a while before Jaz looked at him once more. "Dib, I just realized something."

Dib looked back at her. "What?"

"If I come back to live on Earth once this is all over, my base will deactivate itself because I no longer have a mission. I'm not gonna have a place to live." She replied, a worried expression crossing her face.

"Isn't there a way you could reactivate it?" Dib asked.

Jaz thought this over. "Well...there might be a way, but I don't know..." She shrugged it off, smiling. "We'll just try it." She sat up, allowing Dib to sit up as well.

Dib smiled at her, but his smile soon faded and his expression became serious. "We really need to make a plan. How are we going to make one if one of us has to keep an eye on Zim the entire time?"

Jaz looked out the window thoughtfully. "You're right. I'll be right back." She slid off the seat and walked to one of the two doors on the other side of the room and knocked lightly. "Danny?"

Danny's hoarse voice sounds from the other side of the door. "What?"

"Danny, I'm sorry to bother you, but we need to make a plan to save Zim and the Empire." Jaz said softly.

There's a short pause before the door opens and Danny stands in the doorway, head bowed.

Jaz looked at her. "He's going to be okay...I promise." She said reassuringly.

Danny glanced up at her. She suddenly embraced her, burying her face in her shoulder.

Jaz hugged her tightly. "I promise Zim is going to be alright. I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen."

Danny let go of her, still looking down. "Well, we're not doing him any good by just standing around. Let's make a plan!" She walked past Jaz and over to the control panel.

Jaz watched her go then looked in the room to see Zim lying on one of the floating platforms. She walked in and picked him up. As she walks back out, she notices Flik still sitting in the corner. "Flik!" When he doesn't respond, she walks over to him and gently kicks him.

Flik jolted and took off the helmet, looking up at her.

"Come on, we gotta make plans now." Jaz informed him before walking over to the others.

Flik tossed the helmet aside and hurried after her.

Danny leaned against the back of the pilot's chair. "So...Anyone got any ideas?"

Jaz looked down at Zim thoughtfully. "What if I tell the Tallests that I finally killed Zim? He sure LOOKS dead."

Danny looked at her and blinked.

"Would that work?" Dib asked.

"If I do it properly." Jaz replied. "If I can do just that, then there won't be any war!"

"But wait a minute!" Flik piped up. "What about the Control Brains? They can still tell if he's really dead or not."

Jaz's heart sunk. "Oh yeah."

"And we still need to get the stuff to fix his PAK. It's not like The Tallests are just gonna hand it over." Danny added.

Jaz looked down again, thinking. Suddenly, her eyes grow wide and she lifts her head up, looking out the window. "The Control Brains." She turned to the others. "We need to get to the Control Brains!"

Danny stared at her calmly before bursting out. "THOSE ARE ON IRK! IT'LL TAKE US TEN TIMES LONGER TO GET THERE THAN TO THE MASSIVE!"

Jaz looked at her. "It's the only way we can save Zim!"

Danny groaned and dropped her head onto the back of the chair.

"What can we do once we get to the Brain?" Dib asked curiously.

Jaz's expression and tone turned serious. "The same thing I did to take over Zim's base. But doing something that extreme will KILL you."

Dib stared at her. "Wh—then how—"

"I'll do it." Said Jaz.

"What!?" Dib cried. "NO!"

Danny's head shot up as she turned her gaze to Jaz.

Jaz looked down at the lifeless Irken in her arms. "I'm the only one who can."

"But—" Dib began

"No." Danny interrupted, staring at Jaz.

"Someone has to repair Zim's PAK and keep him safe. And someone needs to take control of the Brains, or this plan will never work." Jaz argued.

"I'LL take over the Brains." Danny informed her.

"NO!" Jaz shouted. "If you do that and Zim gets fixed, what do you think will happen when he finds out you're dead!? His PAK will go crazy and the same thing will happen all over again! /I/ HAVE to do it."

"But I—" Danny began to protest.

"I'll take over the Brains." Flik suddenly announced.

The ship went quiet and everyone turned to him.

"Hey, you know I'm tougher than any of you guys!" Flik continued. "I can handle a little death."

"But Flik, you're just a smeet!" Jaz said, scared for her young companion's life.

"Hell with it! I'm gonna do it, and nothing's gonna stop me!" Flike said with a smirk.

Jaz stared at him. "Alright." She sighed sadly.

Flik crossed his arms and cocked his head up proudly.

"Okay, it's settled. Flik will take care of the Control Brains." Jaz announced to the rest of the group.

"O-okay..." Danny choked.

Dib looked at Jaz.

Jaz hung her head, glancing up at Flik, who was still standing proudly. "I don't have much control over him..."

Dib stood up and walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Jaz looked at him sadly.

Flik walked up to them. "Hey...If it's going to keep you guys alive, I'm more than willing to do it."

Jaz looked down at him with big, sad eyes.

Flik smiled. "Besides, my PAK is stronger in more ways than one compared to yours, Jaz. But you already knew that."

Jaz tried to smile. "I'm proud of you, Flik."

"Thank you." Flik said with a smile.

Danny watched all of this thoughtfully then looked down, arms crossed.

Jaz turned her attention back to the group as a whole. "We still need a plan to make it past the Tallests. They can easily take us down..."

Danny looked up. "Then we're going to need help."

Jaz looked at her. "But from who?"

"I have some friends back on my home planet, Zeikran, who might be able to help." Danny replied.

Jaz's eyes grew wide and her face split into a wide smile. "Danny, that's brilliant!" She cried ecstatically. "H-how many friends?"

"Two." Danny replied. "But they're strong. They'd be a HUGE advantage."

"Great! We need all the help we can get!" Jaz said.

"Then we better get going" Danny pushed herself up and walked around to the control panel to set the coordinates for the planet Zeikran.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Jaz placed Zim down on the pilot's chair and looked him over.

"Yeah, he's definitely alive." She said after a minute. She placed a hand on his tiny chest. "He's still breathing." She removed her hand and placed it on her chin, thinking. "He can hear everything that's going on, but he just can't respond. He's lost almost all sense. He can't even feel anything. At least not emotionally or mentally."

Danny looked at her. "Will he remember anything when he wakes up?"

Jaz shook her head. "It's not possible to know the answer to that. But he might not. I don't know."

Danny turned her attention back to the tiny, lifeless Irken, a look of worry coming over her face.

"His eyes are too dry." Jaz announced rather suddenly. "We need to fix them." She looked at her friend as she bent down to pick Zim up off the chair. "Danny, you wanna help?"

"Okay..." Danny replied, still lost in her own thoughts.

Jaz turned to Dib and Flik. "We'll be right back. You just man the stations." She turned and walked into the same room Danny had locked herself in just moments before.

Once inside, Jaz lay Zim down on the hovering platform. She walked to the other side of the room and begun to rummage through the compartments. Once she found what she was looking for, she headed back over to the platform, pulling on some surgical gloves over her black ones. She gently poked Zim's open eye. "Hmm..." She said thoughtfully. "They're getting to the point where they can crisp. Gross. We might have to replace his eyes entirely." She turned to Danny and quickly added, "It's no problem. We can just keep them moist for now."

Jaz took one of the tubes she got from the compartment and squeezed a bit of the water-like substance into Zim's eyes. Once dull and dry, they quickly regained their sheen. Jaz gently closed them. "He needs them to stay closed until he's fixed again." She said. After a short pause, she turned to Danny.

Danny looked back at her. "What did you need me for?" She asked.

Jaz hesitated. "Just to see if you wanted to talk." She said finally.

Danny looked back at Zim, her expression hardening slightly. "No. I don't. I just want to get this over with."

Jaz looked at her friend sadly. "Danny...I need to know everything that happened. I need to understand everything that caused him to turn out like this. It'll help me understand him more...Could you at least tell me what happened on the date?"

Danny's expression softened. "The date was perfect..."

"It was?" Jaz inquired, rather surprised. "W-what happened?" She stammered.

Danny remained silent.

"Danny, please tell me." Said Jaz. "What did Zim do?" She turned her gaze to the small alien. "He hardly even has a thing for sweet, fun stuff." She looked back at Danny. "What did you do?"

Danny stood in silence for a moment before answering. "I kissed him."

Jaz's antennae perked up and her eyes widened in shock. "You KISSED him!?" She exclaimed. "W-w-what was his reaction?"

Danny smirked. "He freaked out."

Jaz stared at her before a smirk crept across her face as well. "Well, I would expect that from him."

"Yeah...well, once the date was over, he got the hang of it." Danny added.

Jaz's expression turned back to one of shock and surprise. "He..." She looked back at the small Irken on the platform and stared at him. "You mean he LIKED it?" She asked, bewildered.

Danny turned to her with an amused look on her face. "Uh-huh."

Jaz stared down at Zim thoughtfully. "Well...it's no wonder he went crazy. He experienced love for the first time." She turned and walked away with a hand on her forehead. "Oh my god..."

Danny looked over at her. "What?" She asked.

Jaz looked back at her then away again. "I just..."

Danny walked over to her. "What?" She repeated.

Jaz removed her hand from her forehead and stared blankly at the ground. "I've been trying to kill him this whole time..." She looked at Danny. "And I always thought he was another lost cause!" She looked away, suddenly feeling guilty.

After a while, she looked back at her companion. "Danny, I don't understand something. How come YOU were the only one to get through to him and nobody else?" She asked, puzzled. "I've tried to be kind to him just like you before, but he didn't even care...But he's always had some sort of liking towards you...and I REALLY don't get why! He hates everybody!"

Danny looked back at Zim. "I guess I just caught his interest."

Jaz stared at Zim in silence for what seemed like an eternity. "He's impossible to figure out." She finally admitted.

Danny smirked.

"Why did he not want you to leave?" Jaz asked, keeping her eyes on Zim.

"He said he liked me too much to want me to leave..." Danny answered.

"Even though you tried to kill him?"

Danny nodded. "But...I didn't really try to. I just threatened him. I couldn't actually kill him. And I told him that."

"But then when he found out that he really wasn't an Invader, he threatened to kill YOU."

"I don't hold that against him. He was blinded by rage."

Jaz stared at Zim for several minutes before speaking again. "You know what I think? I think he's so used to being whatever he wants to be, that when he discovered the truth about his mission, he may have begun to think it was YOUR fault, because you were honest with him. He doesn't know how to handle people...or anything, for that matter..." She turned to the green-eyed female beside her. "Danny, why do you like Zim so much if he only hurt everyone? It doesn't make any sense."

Danny shrugged. "I can't really explain it."

"There's GOT to be a reason." Jaz insisted as she turned her gaze back at Zim. "There's nothing likable about him!"

"You've just never seen his soft side."

"Hell if I ever had!" Jaz retorted. "The only thing he's really good at is ruining everything!" She crossed her arms and sighed. "But, I guess I don't have your eyes...so I can't really speak, can I?" She looked at Danny once more. "He better be good to you or I really WILL kill him." She then turned and walked out of the room without another word.

Danny watched her leave, hesitating for a moment before following after her.

Flik looked up at Jaz as she approached the control panel. "What happened to YOU?" He asked, noticing her grumpy expression.

"Nothing." Jaz answered shortly. "How is our course?"

Flik looked back at the controls. "We're getting closer to Zeikran. No obstacles lie ahead."

"Good. Thank you, Flik. I'll take over from here."

Flik proudly saluted his master then walked off to work elsewhere. Jaz sat down at the controls and began to work at them.

Dib watched her apprehensively. "Jaz? What happened?" He asked.

"Nothing." Jaz sighed. "I just still hate Zim."

"Understandable." Dib answered empathetically before turning to look at the holographic screens.

"You doing okay, Dib?" Jaz asked, still working the controls.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Dib answered.

Jaz nodded with a smile. "Okay, cool." She continued to work at the controls, bringing up maps of their course. She looked at Dib as she worked. "Have you ever been to another planet before?"

"None outside my own solar system."

Jaz bit her lip. "Hmmm...Come with me." She stood up and walked to the other side of the room.

Dib stood and followed after her. "What's up?"

Jaz rummaged through a large container containing several medical items Dib recognized from Earth. She pulled out a syringe and filled it with some fluid. "I'm going to need you to take off your coat for a minute."

Dib eyed the syringe as he obeyed.

"You won't be immune to the diseases on that planet, and the people there won't be immune to anything you have. I just need to make sure you and no one else get sick." She said as she gently takes his arm and sticks it with the needle, causing Dib to flinch slightly. "Sorry." She said as she pushes down on the plunger, injecting the liquid. When she removes the needle, she notices his arm is bleeding and takes a cloth out of the container and presses it down on the injection site. "I'm sorry." She said again.

Dib smiled reassuringly. "It's okay. A little needle doesn't bother me."

Jaz, still holding the cloth in place, rummaged through the container again and pulled out a bottle of pills."

"What are those?" Dib asked, having never seen them before.

"While I was on Earth, Danny and I invented these pills in our study of humans." Jaz answered. "They're supposed to prevent any kind of sickness. Kind of like antibiotics." She looked at the bottle in her hand. "I've had one human try it before, but Flik scared him off before I got the results. So, I'm not really sure if I should try it again on you."

Dib eyed the pills suspiciously for a moment before deciding to trust her. "I'll take them." He said.

Jaz looked at him hesitantly. "Okay...but if you feel ANYTHING different, you have to tell me right away." She opened the bottle and tipped one pill out into her hand and holding it out to Dib.

Dib took it from her and looked it over. Deciding it was worth a shot, he popped it in his mouth and swallowed it.

Jaz watched him. "Well?"

Dib was silent for a moment, giving the pills time to work. "I feel fine so far." He stated.

"The reactions are supposed to be immediate. You feel NOTHING at ALL?" Jaz asked incredulously.

Dib hesitated again, analyzing his physical state. "No. I don't think so."

Jaz looked at the bottle in disbelief. "This isn't right! The pills are supposed to act right away! Why isn't it doing its job!?"

"What are they supposed to do?" Dib asked curiously.

Jaz looked at him. "I don't KNOW! I never got the results, remember!?"

"Then how do you know they're supposed to produce visible results?"

"I've studied chemicals and medicines as a scientist for more than half of my life, I know which certain chemicals react immediately and which ones don't!"

"Hm..." Dib said thoughtfully. "Maybe I've just built up an immunity to Irken technology from all the stuff Zim's exposed me too over the years."

"But still, these pills are supposed to—"

Her sentence was cut off by Dib raising a finger. "Wait, hang on, I don't feel so—" He collapsed to the ground before he could finish.

"OH GOD!" Jaz exclaimed, kneeling down to him and lifting him up off the floor. "DIB! ARE YOU OKAY!?"

Dib looked at her with a rather confused expression on his face. "Huh?"

"You just collapsed!" Jaz explained. "Are you alright!?"

Dib's face broke into a goofy smile. "You have pretty eyesssss."

Jaz stared at him. "Dib? Are you okay?"

Dib looked around at their surroundings, quickly becoming fascinated. "WHOA! Are we in a SPACESHIP?"

Jaz raised an "eyebrow" at him. "Uhhhh..."

Dib looked at her. "Are you an ALIEN!?" He asked, genuinely intrigued.

"I think you need to lie down." Jaz suggested. At that moment, Danny walked over.

"What's going on over here?" She asked curiously.

Dib looked at her. "ANOTHER ONE!" He shouted.

"Uhh...hey, Dib? Why don't you come with me? I'm gonna help you out..." Jaz stated, helping him to his feet.

"Okay..." Dib responded, still looking around at the ship's interior.

"Can you walk on your own?" Jaz asked, cautiously releasing him.

"Of course I..." Dib began, right before his legs gave out underneath him.

Danny looked at Jaz, pointing at Dib. "What...?"

Jaz bent down to help Dib up again. "Don't ask. Take the controls for a second, I might be a while." With that, she hoisted Dib over her shoulder and headed back to the medical room.

Danny watched them go. "Okay..." She shrugged it off and turned to the front of the ship.

Once inside the medical room, Jaz placed Dib on the remaining platform. "Maybe I shouldn't have given you that pill." She said, a hint of concern in her voice.

Dib grinned at her. "Nonsense! I feel GREAT!" He then collapsed backwards onto the platform, unconscious.

Jaz immediately took his face in her hands, slapping his cheek. "Dib, wake up! I need you awake right now!"

Dib snorted as he awoke. "Wha-huh?" He stuttered groggily.

"Dib, how many fingers do I have?" Jaz held up her hand, exposing both fingers and her thumb.

Dib squinted, and after about half a minute, he finally blurted out "6!"

Jaz lowered her hand. "Okaaaay...J-just stay there. I'm going over here to get you something." She slowly backed away, still keeping an eye on him as she retrieved something from the supply compartments. Dib sat on his platform, watching her curiously as she rummaged through one compartment filled with special masks.

After finding the one she was looking for, she walked back over to him and held it up. "Hold still while I put this on you." She moved the mask closer to his face.

Dib jerked his head away. "No!"

"Dib, I'm trying to help you. Please let me put it on...It's nothing bad. It's an oxygen mask. You'll be fine." Attempts to put the mask on his face again*

Dib looked away, crossing his arms. "No!" He pouted.

"I'm doing it whether you like it or not." Jaz said, now exasperated. "Now hold still!" She finally wrestled him into the mask, but not before he fell to the floor in an attempt to get away from her. She picked him up the now dazed human and placed him back on the platform.

She looked him over, seeing that he was starting to calm down. "Dib? How do you feel?"

"Okay..." Dib answered groggily. "What just happened?"

"You just went crazy for a minute. Like you were drunk or something." A goofy smile broke across her face as she added "You said my eyes were pretty." She turned away and laughed, looking back on the last few moments. She looked back at him, seeing that he had gone a deep shade of red. "Don't feel bad, that was really nice, actually."

"I don't even remember saying that..." Dib replied. "It's true though..." He added after a moment's pause.

Jaz gently patted him on the head. "I think you just need to rest for a while. And keep that mask on, okay?"

"K..."

"How do you feel?"

"Better."

"Anything different from before?"

"Yeah. I'm not high anymore."

Jaz laughed. "You were so goofy!"

Dib groaned. "I don't wanna know..."

"Well, I'll tell you one thing." Jaz replied, still giggling. "You totally forgot we were on a spaceship and that I was an alien."

Dib looked at her then looked straight ahead. "Wow..."

Jaz started laughing harder. "It was amusing!" She paused, her smile fading. "But you couldn't stand or walk, either. That was kind of sad." Her smile disappeared completely. "I'm sorry. I think giving you that pill was a really bad idea...You only got sick."

"Well, I seem to be fine now." Dib said, trying to reassure her.

Jaz smiled again. "Just keep that mask on and you will be."

Dib smiled back at her through the mask.

"...Hey, do you think you can walk?" Jaz asked.

Dib thought for a moment. "I don't know..."

"Let's try it." Jaz suggested, taking his hands.

Dib slid off the platform with Jaz's help, stumbling at first, but quickly regained his footing.

"Try to walk." Jaz urged.

Dib took one step and his legs buckled underneath him."I don't think I'm quite ready yet." He said after regaining his stability.

Without hesitation, Jaz picked him up and lifted him back up onto the platform. Dib didn't object and just lay back down, breathing in the oxygen from the mask slowly and deeply.

Jaz looked him over and lay a hand on his forehead. "You feel hot. I'm just gonna stick around and take care of you. Are you hungry or anything?"

"No, I'm fine." Dib replied. "But don't be offended if I fall asleep on you."

"That's fine. We've had a long day anyway." Jaz stomped on the metallic floor twice, and a robotic chair popped out of a compartment in the floor. She sat down on it, watching Dib and smiling.

Dib smiled back at her, until his eyes wandered over to Zim on the other platform. His smile faded. "Do you really think we can pull this off?"

Jaz turned to look at Zim. After a long pause, she shook her head and turned back to Dib. "I'm not sure of anything right now. I guess the best we can do is hope...Hope that when Zim's fixed, he doesn't ruin everything."

"What exactly are we trying to DO?" Dib asked, realizing he knew next to nothing about their plan.

Jaz sighed and looked down, a bit worn out from her long day. "Pretty much we're going to be changing the entire Empire."

"Can we DO that?" Dib asked.

Jaz looked at him. "If we take over the Control Brains, we can do anything we want. But it's going to be anything BUT easy."

Dib looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking?" Jaz asked.

"I'm just thinking this whole thing over." Dib replied.

Jaz reached over and gently rubbed his head. "You're sick. You need to stay as stress-free as possible. Just think about good stuff."

Dib turned to her.

Jaz continued on. "I know that for humans, stress is a killer. I want you to stay healthy and as happy as possible."

Dib remained looking at her, still smiling. "I know. I'm doing what you told me to do."

Jaz smiled back at him then looked to the side. "It's odd how I find you so attractive. I mean..." She looked back at him. "we don't have any of the same features..." She looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I'm kind of surprised YOU actually find an ALIEN attractive."

Dib thought on this. "So am I..." He said after a moment.

Jaz looked at him. "So...why DO you?"

"I...I don't know..."

Jaz leaned in, tilting her head slightly. "I think as far as features go, I like your eyes the most."

Dib felt his face grow hot.

"And I also like how your face changes color." She added, causing Dib to blush even more.

Jaz went on. "I think the next feature I like is your hair." She turned her attention to the black scythe on his head. "It's SO interesting! How does it even GROW like that?"

"Beats me." Dib replied. "My dad's hair does the same thing. I guess it's just hereditary."

"I also like your voice." Jaz continued. "Most voices I hear from anyone are super annoying, like Zim when he screams and stuff. But your voice is nice."

Dib grinned at her. "So is yours."

Jaz shrugged, her face turning a deeper shade of green. She leaned forward, crossing her arms and leaning against the platform. "Aside from features, I really like your personality the most."

Dib watched her. "You know...I could say the same about you."

After a long pause of the two of them staring at each other and smiling, Jaz reached a hand up to Dib's forehead again. "You still feel a little warm." She said, becoming a little concerned.

Dib shrugged. "I guess I just need some rest."

Jaz looked at him sadly. "Irkens never get sick. I wish it was the same for you."

"I'll be fine."

"I still don't know what that pill is doing to you, though."

"I feel fine. Maybe the loopiness was the only side effect."

"We'll see." Jaz patted him on the head and looked at him thoughtfully. "Hey, Dib?"

"Yeah?"

Jaz drew her hand back, looking off to the side. "If..." She looked back at him. "If we're both attracted to each other...and we both know it...and we're okay with it...does that mean we're going out?"

Dib blinked. "I...guess so..." He said, as if this sudden realization had just blown him away.

Jaz lifted herself up and planted a kiss on his head, causing him to blush again.

At that moment, the ship suddenly jerked slightly.

Jaz lifted her head. "Dib, we've landed!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Really?" Dib tore off the oxygen mask and hopped off the platform.

Jaz stood up, holding up a hand to stop him. "Uhh, you should keep this on hand in case you get all loopy again." She said as she picked up the mask.

Dib waved it away. I don't need it, I'm fine now."

"Fine, I'll keep it." Jaz stuck the mask inside her PAK and grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go!"

They both bolted toward the door, eager to catch a glimpse of the planet they landed on. Zeikran.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Danny turned to see Jaz and Dib come back into the main control room. "There you guys are. Dib, you okay?" She asked, concerned for the boy's wellbeing.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Dib replied, more interested in getting a look out the window.

"Where did we land?" Jaz asked.

"I landed the Voot in a secluded spot. Zeikranians don't trust the Irken race, ever since they warded off that Invasion during Impending Doom I." Danny replied, as if this was a simple matter. "I need you guys to stay here. I'll be back as soon as I can." A holographic disguise engulfs her, giving her the appearance of a humanoid fox. Her Irken uniform replaced by clothes similar to those found on Earth.

"Wait a minute." Jaz intervened. "You mean they don't know you're an Irken?"

"Of course not." Danny replied matter-of-factly.

A cold chill ran down Jaz's spine. "But, that means..." She began, quickly becoming angry. "Why didn't you tell us this before!?" She demanded.

Danny shrugged, walking to the airlock. "It wasn't important up until now. But now you know."

Jaz slapped her forehead and groaned.

Danny turned back to her. "Jaz, relax. I have a plan. Just trust me, okay?" And with that, she stepped into the airlock, the door closing behind her, and she was gone.

Flik walked up to Jaz, looking up at her. "So, we just wait?"

Jaz remained with her hand on her forehead for a moment before looking down at him. "We get the weapons ready, just in case." Flik saluted and ran off. Jaz turned to Dib.

"We need to make sure Zim stays safe." She said calmly. She then ran off to the medical bay.

Dib followed after her. "You don't really think they'll attack, do you?"

Jaz scooped Zim's limp body up in her arms and turned to Dib. "I have no idea, but if they do, we need to be prepared. Help me find a place to hide him."

Dib barely had a chance to so much as glance in one direction when Flik came charging into the room. 

"Jaz, Dib! You gotta SEE this planet! It's AWESOME!" He squealed. Before either of them could respond, he was gone again, still shouting. "Look through the window!"

Dib and Jaz exchanged glances before following him out into the main room and over to the control panel.

"You see?" Flik said excitedly, pointing out the window. What they saw left Dib speechless for once. Jaz, however uttered three little words.

"Oh...my...gosh..."

They were parked on the top of a mountain, the highest in its range. Before them was a vast, green valley, dotted with sparkling blue lakes and ponds. Small villages were scattered here and there, one bigger than all the rest and nearby was a large towering castle. Though to them the castle was merely a speck. Beyond the valley was a dense forest, and further still was a clear blue ocean.

Jaz stared out onto the scenery in awe. "It's like a cooler version of Earth." She blurted out.

"More like what Earth USED to look like..." Dib corrected her, just as entranced as she was.

Flik added his own two cents in. "DAMN, what I would give to invade this planet." Dib and Jaz looked down at him, less than impressed.

"Smeets." Jaz sighed.

Flik ignored them as he continued to stare at the landscape with wide eyes.

"Okay, enough of that. Help me find a place to hide Zim, you guys!" Jaz said, walking off. Dib turned and followed her while Flik kept his face plastered to the window.

Jaz looked around, getting frustrated. "Crap, this is hard!" She turned her gaze down to Zim. "And you think it would be easy to find a place to stick him in, considering his size."

Dib was opening and closing compartment doors, finding they were either packed with supplies or were too small. Eventually, he found one that was mostly empty and seemed to be the right size.

"Jaz!" He called over his shoulder. Jaz went over to him.

"That's perfect!" She exclaimed, placing Zim inside. She closed the door and turned to Dib, looking slightly worried, and threw her arms around him. Dib, though slightly startled, returned the gesture.

"Hey. It'll be ok." He assured her. "Danny said she had a plan."

"That's a good idea. Stay optimistic." Jaz replied, hugging him tighter. After a bit, she pulled away and lifted a hand up to his forehead. "You feel pretty normal now." She said, withdrawing her hand and smiling.

"See?" Dib replied. "I told you I was fine." Jaz answered by giving him a quick peck on the cheek, then turned to the smeet at the window.

"Flik! Stop goofing off and come over here!" She said firmly. Flik turned to look at her and quickly hopped off the control panel, running over to them.

"Okay, guys." Jaz said, addressing the two of them at once. "We have to protect this ship. But we can't kill or hurt anyone either. We simply have to defend it. Heck, we don't even know how strong or weak this species is." She turned to Dib. "Dib? I'm going to give you your own weapon." She turned and walked over to another compartment, opening it and revealing all of the weapon inside.

"Hey!" Flik complained. "Don't give him the Death-Ray-Gun! That one's mine!"

"No one is using that gun!" Jaz snapped, rummaging through all the alien guns. "Hey Dib," She said, turning to him. "why don't you pick out one you like?"

Dib walked over to her and glanced over all of the high-tech weapons. A small pistol-shaped one caught his eye and he picked it up. "What's this one do?" He asked.

"That one immobilizes its victims by electrocuting their bodies." Jaz answered.

"So it's not lethal?"

"if you don't put the setting to 'DOOM'. Keep the setting on 'PAIN'."

"Right."

"And Flik..." Jaz looked over all of the weapons, pulling out an even smaller ray gun and handing it to him. "You get this one."

"AH, YOU SUCK!" Flik shouted angrily.

Jaz ignored him. "As for me," She said, pulling out one of the biggest, if not _the _biggest weapon of the bunch. "I'M gonna be using the badass weapons here, boys."

Flik glared at her.

"How is THAT thing not lethal?" Dib asked.

"It LOOKS lethal, but it really just shoots out custard." She replied innocently.

Dib looked at her oddly.

"What?" She asked. "It looks cool." She hoisted the weapon over her shoulder and placed a hand on her hip, posing proudly. "And knowing Flik, he'd probably custard everyone to death. Literally."

"You still suck." Flick stated.

Before anyone could say anything further, the airlock opened, grabbing everyone's attention.

Danny was the first to step inside, still wearing her fox disguise. Accompanying her were two humanoid felines. A tall gray tabby male, and a snow-white female.

Jaz and Dib stared at the newcomers nervously, unsure of what to do. Flik, on the other hand, watched them calmly, holding his weapon ready at his side.

Danny turned to the two cats. "Silver, Starlet, these are the Irkens and the human I told you about."

Silver, the tabby, glanced at her then looked back at the others, eyeing them suspiciously. Jaz shrunk in response and scooted a little closer to Dib.

The white cat stood slightly behind her companion, unsure and bit nervous.

Danny turned back to her other friends. "Jaz, Flik, Dib, these are the two friends I was telling _you_ about." There's a hint of desperation in her voice as she tried to ease the tension in the air.

Jaz, on the same page as Danny, slowly lifted a hand and waved. "H-hi..." She stammered.

Silver's emerald green eyes narrowed in response.

Starlet stepped around him, feeling a little braver, and managed a smile. "Hi..."

"I'm Irken Jaz, commander of this ship." Jaz, trying to keep her voice steady. She gestured to the smeet in front of her. "That's my assistant, Flik."

Flik merely nodded his greeting.

Jaz continued on, hugging Dib's arm. "And this is Dib, my boyfriend."

This caught Danny's attention.

"WHAT!?" She demanded.

Jaz glared at her. "_Shut_._ Up_." She hissed.

Danny stared at them both, confused. Then, deciding it wasn't worth her time, shrugged it off, frowning. "Whatever." She grumbled.

"Boyfriend?" Starlet asked. "But he's human. Irkens aren't exactly known for their loving nature..."

"Yes, I know." Jaz answered calmly. "But we are Defectives. We're more capable of expressing love than 'normal' Irkens."

Silver raised an eyebrow.

"Actually," Jaz added. "we need your help with one of the Defectives."

Silver finally spoke up. "What kind of help?"

"One of the Defectives is in serious danger." Danny answered. "We just need your help to get to the control Brain on Irk. Once we get there, we need to take it over. Once we do THAT, we'll have control over the entire Empire. And we'll have what we need to save our friend."

"He's actually a very close friend of Danny's." Jaz chimed in, trying to help. "He's her new boyfriend."

This caught the two felines off-guard. Danny shot a nasty look at Jaz.

"Thanks a LOT." She hissed.

Silver looked at her, shocked and horribly confused. "You have an IRKEN boyfriend?"

Danny whirled on him. "Yes I DO! You got a PROBLEM with that!?" She demanded.

"Hey, I'm just trying to point out that Irkens really CAN love and that we're not just some race of savage, blood-thirsty monsters!" Jaz interrupted desperately.

Silver backed away from Danny, looking at Jaz. "Uhh..." He looked back at Danny. "No. I don't." He looked away in defeat.

"Good." Danny replied icily.

"Are you willing to join us?" Jaz asked.

"Of course we are." Starlet replied. 

"We wouldn't be here if we weren't." Silver added.

Jaz nodded, tossing her weapon aside. "Thank you so much. We are very grateful, you have no idea."

Silver looked at Danny, not quite ready to let her live down the recent news. "So...where's this boyfriend of yours?" He asked, smirking.

Danny turned to him, highly annoyed.

"We'll show you." Jaz piped up, going over to one of the compartments. She opened it and gently took out the tiny Irken. "This is him." She said, turning back to the others.

"What was he doing in there?" Danny asked.

"Uhh..." Jaz began nervously. "Forget it." She turned to face the two cats. "He may look like he's dead, but his PAK has just been messed up. He went crazy and one of his chips fried. He's unable to respond to anything. But he still breathes, so we know he's alive."

Starlet cupped her hands over her mouth in horror. Silver blinked in confusion. This was too much for him to wrap his mind around.

"I should also mention his name." Jaz continued. "It's Zim."

Silver and Starlet turned their attention to Danny, Starlet lowering her hands and holding them close to her chest. Danny walked over to Jaz and took Zim from her.

"So..." Silver said, still trying to understand the whole thing. "...this is why we're going to Irk? To fix one Irken? Why do you need us?" 

Jaz looked at him. "This one Irken was and, when he's active, is the greatest threat to our Empire. But now there's an even greater threat. Our own leaders, the Tallests. Zim was sent on a fake mission to Dib's home planet to invade it. Zim didn't know that it really was a fake until just today. He became so furious that he wanted to destroy the Almighty Tallests himself. He has actually killed two of our previous Tallests before, so he wasn't afraid of doing it again. But Zim is honestly not that bad..." She looked at the tiny Irken in her friend's arms. "He actually just wants to make things good...in his own way, I guess."

The entire ship was silent.

After a while, Danny piped up. "But he's not our only priority. We want to change the Empire for the better."

"Yes." Jaz agreed. "And we're not able to do it without your help."

Silver slammed a fist into his hand, cracking his knuckles. "Alright. Let's go kick some sorry green ass." He said with a toothy grin.

Flik returned the enthusiasm, pumping a fist in the air, shouting. "HELL YEAH!"

Jaz walked up to the two felines, holding out a hand. "Welcome to the team, Silver and Starlet!" One by one, they both shook her hand.

"Well, Jaz," Danny said. "this is your ship. Let's get it off the ground."

"Right!" Jaz exclaimed. She marched proudly over to the controls. As the engine revved up, she couldn't resist the urge to punch the air above her head. "RED AND PURPLE, YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" And with that, the ship launched into the air and into space.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Jaz punched some coordinates into the controls and turned back to the group.

"Alright, we're on our way to our home planet. We should be there in 5 days time, unless we come across some trouble." She stated, "Until then, we prepare." She walked back over to them. "We already have part of the plan set. Flik will take care of the Control Brains." Flik nodded proudly in response.

"The rest is still undecided." Jaz admitted.

"From what I understand about Irk, it's basically a prison. Heavily guarded by indestructible Irkens." said Silver, "Yeah, sounds like a piece of cake." He rolled his eyes. Starlet smacked him on the arm.

"But if we take over the Control Brains, we can control the entire Irken Empire!" Jaz retorted, "That is our greatest advantage! But you're right, Irk is a heavily armed planet, as well as the Massive." Her eyes narrowed. "We still need to go there as well." She suddenly started shaking in rage. "So I can KILL the Tallests myself!"

Danny's eyes widened. She wasn't used to seeing this side of Jaz.

Jaz went on. "Those assholes ruined millions of lives, including ours! I will NOT allow them to do it anymore!"

Danny watched her thoughtfully. After a while, she said "I want to help. You can't kill both of them unless you get one alone. And they're NEVER apart." Jaz looked at her and nodded.

"Hey." Said Flik, "This is just a random thought, but doesn't Zim have a friend?" Jaz looked at him, puzzled.

"You know, some Invader named Stool, I think..." Flik said, trying to remember.

Jaz raised an eyebrow, thinking.

"SKOODGE!" Dib blurted out suddenly.

Jaz jumped and looked at him. She then looked at Flik.

"What about Skoodge?"

"It's probably not a good idea, but what if we ask Skoodge to help us?"

"No." Jaz said grimly, "That's a VERY bad idea. He's a Regular, NOT a Defective. He'd report us."

"Okay..." Flik responded with a shrug.

"He may like people, but he's still too loyal to the Empire..." Jaz suddenly gasped. "We also have to set the slaves free! With them out of the prisons and everything being left unoperated, it'll be much easier to bring the Tallests down!"

"Okayokayokay!" Dib butt in, waving his hands. "We can do all that once we have control of the Brains. But HOW are we going to GET to them?" Jaz looked at him.

"I...don't...know. YET! I don't know yet! There IS a way, we just need to find it!"

Danny cleared her throat, drawing attention to herself.

"I have an idea." She gently placed Zim down on the pilot's chair and turned to her Irken companion. "You're forgetting something, Jaz." Jaz stared at her, unable to figure out what she was forgetting.

"What?" She asked.

Danny looked over at her two feline friends, smirking. Then, before anyone could react, she flung her arm violently in Jaz's direction. A blast of purple fire-like energy shot from the palm of her hand and whizzed past Jaz's head, missing it by an inch. It hit the wall behind her and fizzled out, singeing the paint. Jaz didn't even flinch. Instead, a huge smile broke across her face.

"That's it!" She exclaimed, looking at Danny and the two felines. "OF COURSE!" She ran over to Danny and embraced her. "Danny, what would I do without you!"

"You would die. Literally." Danny replied with a smirk.

"Ain't that the truth." Jaz said, laughing.

Danny pulled away and turned to Silver and Starlet. "Well, there you have it. We're going to cut through every Irken Guard that gets in our way." She turned her full attention to Silver. "And you. This is no refereed sparring match. This is real life. No more holding back. We're going to need every _ounce_ of your strength on this mission."

"Sweet." Silver replied, smirking.

Jaz, however, did not share the sentiment. Her expression drooped and she turned her gaze to the floor. Dib noticed and looked at her.

"Something wrong, Jaz?" He asked. Jaz looked up, placing her hands behind her back.

"I'm sorry, please excuse me." She then turned and walked back into the medical bay. Danny watched her go, soon following after her only to discover the door won't open.

"Jaz?" She called. There was no answer.

"Jaz, Come on. Unlock the door."

"Leave your commander in peace!" Jaz snapped from the other room.

Danny was taken aback. Jaz had never spoken to her like that before. Not since they were enemies, anyway. "Well fine!" She snapped back. She turned around in a huff and plopped herself down on the pilot's chair. Flik watched this whole scene unfold and turned to their new comrades.

"Jaz doesn't usually act like this." He explained, trying to defend his master. He then turned to Dib, who was fixated on the door, not seeming to notice him. After some contemplation, Flik looked away, pouting, and went to go sit with Danny. Dib, unaware of Flik's mini tantrum, walked to the door of the medical bay and knocked gently.

"Jaz?" Receiving no answer, he tried again. "Jaz, please. Talk to me."

Jaz's muffled voice sounded through the door.

"What do you want?"

"I just wanna talk." Dib responded gently. "Please unlock the door."

Flik was now watching Dib over the back of the chair.

There was a moment of silence, but soon, the door clicked. Dib hesitated.

"Can I come in?"

"I unlocked the door, didn't I?"

Dib opened the door and stepped inside. "Jaz?"

Flik's antennae shot up in surprise. He watched the door close again and turned around, crossing his arms, more angry than before.

Dib stood at the entrance, watching Jaz who was sitting on the floor against the wall, hugging her legs.

"Jaz, what's wrong?"

Jaz made no effort to show she heard him. Dib walked over and sat down next to her.

"Jaz...please...tell me what's wrong."

Jaz closed her eyes and dropped her head into her arms.

"I hate this." She finally said. "I hate my emotions. I love the thought of killing, and then I hate it." There was another moment of silence before she lifted her head and rested it against the wall behind her and added "I hate being an Irken."

"Hey..." Dib said, trying to comfort her. "There's nothing wrong with having emotions. In fact, it's your greatest strength."

"But they mess with everything!" Jaz cried. "I can almost never think clearly! And I don't even know what's clear and what isn't!" She dropped her face into her hands. "Honestly, I have it worse than most Defectives, I think. I'm not trying to sound selfish or anything, but...UGH!" In a fit of rage, she jumped up, walking away and crossing her arms.

Dib looked up at her. "But it's those emotions that make you who you ARE. They're what are driving you to do this. You're saving the entire Universe."

Jaz hung her head. "But I'm killing people..."

"That's a price that comes with every war..." Dib said after a short pause. "Not to mention you're saving millions of lives" Jaz thought on Dib's words and then turned to him.

"I just wish no one had to die...But that's not really possible..." She looked away, adding hopelessly "...is it?"

Dib watched her, thinking.

"It doesn't seem to be..." He admitted. Jaz let out a sad sigh, sitting down on one of the platforms.

"I'm a leader. I'm supposed to be strong. At least stronger than this..."

Dib got to his feet and walked over to sit by her side again. Jaz looked down at the ground.

"What must one do to remain sane? Especially in a time of war?"

"Just focus on the goal. And all the people you're helping."

Jaz looked at him then down at his hand, taking it into hers and stroked it with her thumb.

"I'm really glad you came." She stopped stroking his hand and just held it, looking back down at the ground. Dib reached his free hand over and turned her to face him.

"I'm glad I came too..." He said with a smile. Then, without warning, he leaned over and pressed his lips to her.

Jaz's antennae sprung up and her sapphire eyes grew huge. Her skin turned a darker shade of green.

Dib pulled away and sat up straight again, smiling at her. Jaz could only stare at him with the same expression.

"You..." She stammered, holding a hand up to her mouth. "...you kissed me on the lips..."

Dib's smile faded and his expression became dumbfounded, suddenly realizing the gravity of what he had just done.

"Yeah...I did..." He murmured, sounding out of breath.

Without warning, Jaz suddenly leapt at him, throwing her arms around his neck, and planted a kiss on his lips. She pulled back and looked at him, smiling sweetly.

"I think I'm going to love Earth."

Dib just stared at her for a moment, stunned. When he pulled himself together, he smiled back at her. Jaz then embraced him, wrapping her arms around him even tighter. Dib returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Their tender moment was soon interrupted by a loud banging at the door.

"HEY!" Flik's high-pitched voice rang at them. "Jaz, are you and your BOYFRIEND coming out, or what!?" He demanded angrily. Jaz and Dib looked at the door then at each other.

"Maybe we should get out there." Dib suggested.

Jaz nodded in response, releasing Dib and standing up. She held out a hand to him, which he took, and they walked out together.

When Flik saw them, he immediately slapped their hands apart.

"Hey!" Jaz retorted. Flik ignored her as robotic spider legs popped out his PAK, lifting him up to eye-level with Dib.

"You stay away from my master, HUMAN!" He growled.

"FLIK!" Jaz shouted. "What are you doing!? That's enough!" She grabbed the tiny smeet and forced him to look at her. Flik's spider legs retracted, but he didn't meet Jaz's eyes. Instead, he kept them glued on Dib.

"Flik, what is your problem!?" Jaz demanded, setting him down.

Flik merely glared at Dib, then turned around and stomped off. Jaz watched him go then turned to Dib.

"I'm sorry about that. He's never done that to anyone before." She whispered.

"It's okay." Dib whispered back.

"Are you two lovebirds going to stop whispering sweet nothings anytime soon?"

Jaz turned to see Danny in the pilot's seat, still disguised as a Zeikranian fox.

"Butt out, Danny." Jaz spat at her, only to have Danny roll her eyes in response. "I could very well say the same to YOU if Zim was up and running."

Dib looked at Jaz nervously. Even he knew that was crossing a line.

He was right. Danny whirled around, now kneeling on the pilot's chair, gripping the back with her claws.

"WHAT!?" She shrieked.

"You heard me!" Jaz hissed. Danny leapt over the back of the chair and marched toward them. She shoved Dib aside and forced Jaz back into the medical bay.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!?"

"You wanting everyone in this war to DIE!" Jaz shouted. "THAT'S my problem!" Danny froze in her tracks.

"WHAT are TALKING about!?"

"Oh sure," Jaz said sarcastically, "let your new friends kill all of our people just for the hell of it! Because they got SO much power!"

"I never said—"

"Don't tell me what I heard or didn't hear!" Jaz yelled, shoving Danny back.

"I NEVER told them to kill everyone!"

Jaz held up her antennae, bending them back to look like fox ears.

"Oh, Silver!" She said in a mocking tone, "For once, you DON'T have to tone it down. I WANT you to unleash full power." She released her antennae and crossed her arms, glaring at Danny.

"Wha—I..." Danny stammered, confused. "I said that because EVERY Irken we meet will be an INDESTRUCTIBLE Regular! Silver's power level is ACTUALLY high enough to take down a fully grown normally functioning Irken."

"You don't know if some of those Irkens might actually be DEFECTIVES!" Jaz shouted. "Did you ever think of THAT!? HUH!?"

"OF COURSE I HAVE!" Danny spat. "But THINK about it. All the GUARDS that try to KILL us and STOP us from getting to the BRAIN will be REGULARS!"

"You STILL don't know if they're all Regulars or NOT! You can't just judge!"

"Jaz, would a DEFECTIVE REALLY have a position as important as a guard!?"

"Hey, Zim is a Defective, and he's had a BILLION positions! And so have I! AND so have YOU!"

"I HAVE NOT! I RAN AWAY REMEMBER!?"

"You've done more than most Irkens would ever DARE to do! You became the member of a brand new nation the Tallests haven't been able to take over yet!"

"I was NOT assigned to DO that!"

"But you still did it! WITHOUT order! AND without getting caught!"

"EXACTLY!" Danny shrieked, nearing the end of her rope. "All the important positions are ASSIGNED! BY THE TALLESTS!"

"But don't you understand my point!?" Jaz inquired, "It could be entirely possible that more than half of those Irkens are Defectives and we don't even know it! YOU CAN'T JUST GO AROUND KILLING WHOEVER THE HELL YOU WANT, JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT YOUR BOYFRIEND BACK!"

That was the last straw. Danny snapped under all the hysteria and lunged at Jaz. Her fox disguise fizzled and disappeared.

Jaz was pinned to the ground. She struggled against the taller Irken but to no avail. Her spider legs popped out of her PAK and pushed Danny off. She crawled up to the ceiling, out of harm's way.

"Do you think it's RIGHT to kill anyone you want!?" She screamed. "Do you think it's OKAY to think the same way a Regular does!?"

Danny's spider legs popped out of her PAK.

"I think it's NECESSARY to cut down anyone who gets in the way of our GOAL!" She screamed back.

"_NECESSARY_!?" Jaz shrieked.

"YES!"

"KILLING is NOT going to save Zim!"

"It is if the people we kill are GETTING IN THE WAY!"

"Are you even LISTENING to yourself!?" Jaz cried, "You're talking just like a Regular!"

"SO WHAT IF I AM!?" Danny shot back.

That was it. She had done it now. Jaz screamed and launched herself at Danny, tackling her to the ground. The two of them rolled straight into the door with a loud 'THUD'.

In the other room, Dib rushed to the door and opened it, allowing the two Irkens to spill into the room. They continued to struggle against each other and roll around, not noticing the change in scenery or their new audience. Eventually, however, Danny managed to grab a hold of one of Jaz's antennae and bit down on it with all her strength.

Jaz's ear-piercing shriek filled the air.

"**_STOP IT_**!" She begged, tears streaming down her face.

Danny's eyes popped open and she released Jaz, who lies on the ground, trembling as tears soak her face.

"JAZ!" Dib and Flik called out in unison, running over to her.

"Are you okay!?" Dib cried, kneeling down to her.

Jaz, unable to respond due to the incredible pain, just trembled and grit her teeth. Flik shot a nasty glare at Danny.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT!?" He shouted.

"I...I..." Was all Danny managed to choke out. She didn't notice her two feline friends staring at her in shock and horror. Flik marched up to her.

"YOU FILTHY ASSHOLE!" He screamed. "YOU ATTACKED OUR COMMANDER!"

"I...I..." Danny stammered. "I'M SORRY!" She shouted, more to Jaz than to Flik.

"Get away from her!" A ray gun popped out of Flik's PAK and pointed at Danny threateningly.

Danny quickly scrambled backwards and stood up. Flik didn't retract his weapon.

"I'll KILL you if you hurt her again!" He threatened before turning back to Jaz.

Danny just watched them, trembling. Then, a thought occurred to her and a cold chill ran down her spine. She looked down at herself, seeing that her disguise was gone. She slowly turned around.

Silver was glaring at her and standing in front of Starlet.

"You've been lying to us this entire time!?" He shouted angrily.

"No...I..." Danny began.

"Let me guess." He said coldly, a green glow forming around his hands. "You don't give a DAMN about us, do you!? You just want us to do the dirty work!" He advanced on her.

"No!" Danny insisted, backing away. "That's not true!" She could feel tears welling up in her eyes.

Silver lunged at her, pinning her to the wall by her throat.

"Or MAYBE" He spat, "you're just going to hand us over to your precious "Tallests"!"

"No!" Danny was pleading now. "Silver, please! I—"

"ENOUGH!" Silver roared. He brought his free hand up as if to punch her, but instead, a green flame erupts in his palm and engulfs his entire hand. "You don't deserve to live." He growled.

"SILVER!"

Silver whipped his head around to look at the owner of the voice.

"Stop it!" Starlet snapped at him. Her hands were clenched into fists and pinned to her sides as she stood tall.

"But she—"

Starlet's blue eyes narrowed.

Silver stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the flame went out and he released Danny, allowing her to fall to the floor. She promptly broke into a fit of sobs, hunching over and hugging herself. Flik, having watched this whole ordeal, walked up to Silver calmly.

"We didn't bring you here to betray you." He said bravely. "If we wanted to do that, we would have killed you already."

Silver glared down at him. Starlet walked over, watching Flik calmly.

"My HOME is the reason you and everyone else think Irkens are nothing but filthy sons of bitches!"

Silver crossed his arms and snorted scornfully, looking away. Starlet shot him a nasty look then turned her gaze back to Flik.

"We were BRAINWASHED to think only for ourselves! This lifestyle wasn't given to us by choice! We're all PRISONERS of our own creations! You have no right to decide whether we should live or not!" The young Irken looked at Danny. "Even I don't..."

"Those are big words coming from a CHILD" Silver spat.

"A child who has faced more bloodshed than YOU ever will!" Flik shouted in response.

Silver started to advance on the little Irken, but Starlet held out an arm to stop him.

"Do you really think an Irken child would even THINK of saying all that if I didn't care about you?" Flik asked.

"No. We don't." Starlet replied before Silver could shoot out another wise-crack. Flik studied them both for a moment.

"Good." He said. He then turned and ran off to the medical bay, where Dib had carried Jaz.

Danny was now curled up in a ball on the floor, shaking and crying. Silver eyed her through the corner of his eye while Starlet watched him cautiously.


End file.
